My Dear Lord Dragon Hunter
by December Faeries
Summary: The Underworld King is in need of a Queen and his eyes are set on a maiden in a tower on an accursed island and guarded by a winged black beast. His only hope is to turn to the nation's only Dragon Hunter although he does not realize that the Dragon Hunter is a large threat to destroy his future schemes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello All! Thank you for clicking on this story.**

 **This is a collaboration done by Jellybeanbubbles and Rockingcass12, as you can see in the December Faeries (our) bio.**

 **So we're gonna kick this off with Rockingcass12, afterwards Jellybeanbubbles and then obviously alternate each chapter.**

 **There isn't a strict updating schedule but every two or three weeks this will be updated, maybe even a week depending on either author.**

 **Thank you and we hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Tales of long ago have become exceedingly cliché

They would start with a tale of dashing romance flourishing between a princess and her prince, her knight, or perhaps a peasant.

One of the factors surrounding it is of a corrupt government poisoning the land.

Added to that the kingdom was also under fear of being eaten by the large winged beast that spits fire, nesting nearby.

Although this tale has some of the things listed above, it gives off a different measure of lessons to be taken in. Love generally motivates the story without a doubt.

But what about the Heart where the Love lays?

Is it not full of determination, zeal, weakness, a self-sacrificing spirit, courage, flaws, forgiveness, hatred and passion?

So, no this tale doesn't _only_ have Love but it is accompanied with Friendship.

* * *

The Kingdom of Fiore,

Ruled with fairness, was just in all its ways, composed towards its enemy, reliable and was something to behold.

 _Was_

Dear Fiore _was_ an incomparable kingdom.

It _was_ a sight to behold. Crocus capital itself was almost as fine of the myths of mount Zion, in all its glory stretching toward the heavens, comparing it to almost be the actual covenant.

The outer lands could see Crocus without any restraining of the eyes, and would awe in amazement.

Quaint cities and villages were just as prosperous as the main capital in their own specialities. You would find villages living in harmony with their work, either if they were farmers or occupational men they worked earnestly to keep the kingdom in balance and peace.

Everything _was_ perfect. Until…

Within a single night the honourable King Toma was killed in cold blood by those of another realm. And without any mercy his only family member… his only daughter and heir to the throne, was murdered in front of his majesty's eyes before his own life was taken.

If, supposedly, someone could relate the tale of hearing the multiple murderers laughing within the castle grounds, those who would relay the rumour would do so in fear and most likely gotten chills to the bone.

The Kingdom fell into great grief and the land plummeted into a new era in the blink of an eye.

It started straight from the king's household being murdered and the seizing of the palace by Bandits. One of the bandits particularly stood out.

He was no Bandit in fact, no he was not one any would like to face, for the rumours were accurate in saying it was indeed Mard Geer, the so called King of the Underworld.

Whether or not it could be confirmed he was a King of such a place, it is not possible to discover, but he himself along with his followers and accomplices resembled Hells minions perfectly.

His appearance showed no traces of him being from the underworld. He seemed to be a normal man, despite his wild long black locks that he normally tied back, his face was youthful and serene but seeing him command chaos and fight proved he was nothing but a monster.

The King of the Underworld was of course not alone for the capturing of the kingdom was impossible without his nine trusted guards, otherwise known as the Nine Demon gates of Tartarus.

Legends describe them as highly trained killers immersed in several different forms of murder and torture. Only appropriate for a king of death.

He became the new king of Fiore with much competition rearing around him since king Toma had been eradicated. Aristocrats from all corners of the country attempted to throw Mard off the thrown but failed by means of their own deaths.

No one stood a chance against the murderous new government, nor did anyone attempt to anymore.

Since his reign the Kingdom fell into poverty due to over taxation, the small farms and businesses throughout the land couldn't correspond to the weighty wages and had to forcefully shut down. Many became homeless as the Kingdom reclaimed them despite the fact that they were already paid for in full, but property prices were increased.

New diseases swept over the land resulting in a high death count. And if diseases didn't kill the citizens, it would be starvation. Due to the tax inflation many farmers could no longer cultivate enough food that the people needed.

Another way the poor citizens of Fiore have perished was due to the new law of execution to those who would fail or rebel against the king. Crueller in fact, they were public executions.

The citizens nationally despised the rule of Tartarus and its disgusting king, and Mard knew that fairly well.

The dark king for many months pondered over the feelings of his citizens and although he loved the hatred toward him, he did realize this would create problems in the future.

Small groups over the land made rebellion groups, and little by little the increasing numbers was beginning to worrying Mard quickly.

Mard pondered over a solution to gain the followers he needs in the land in order to increase his odds in finding those who desired to over throw him.

While on one cold bitter day, he sat on his throne brooding over anything to find the answers he was looking for. His two strongest knights by his side knew of his predicament and personally ordered the other remaining 7 demon gates to seek out solutions.

Mard Geer was becoming impatient with himself; angrily he stood up from his throne and threw his goblet of wine to the floor, shattering it into pieces. His strength made the two 2 knights shiver but they kept themselves composed.

"Rebels, traitors, scum. I'd slaughter them now if they showed their pusillanimous faces!"

His teeth ground together hard and his fists clenched tightly ready to strike.

The woman knight bowed straight away "My Lord, without a doubt you will, just give it time."

Mard loosened his grip and exhaled evenly through his nostrils. He turned to his knight with less anger in his eyes.

"Rise Kyoka, I might just kill you if you lower your guard around my temper." Mard stated.

The woman named Kyoka raised herself "Apologies my King."

The woman still kept her head down, though she watched him like he warned to. Her blue eyes looked up, dull and yet focused. Her sickly green hair poked out her helmet but she didn't bother to touch it, all her attention was monopolised on the King.

The other knight walked up to the king standing next to Kyoka.

"Mighty King, surely you must have thought up a strategy by now. Otherwise let me and my battalion search for the rebels" an older man's voice spoke.

"Silver… That is not your place." Kyoka hissed "If anything; I'm more suitable for the task."

Her murderous blue eyes glared at the older knight. She ought to have killed him before with his cockiness and insolence. Silver was equally matched to her, perhaps smarter due to his experience and age, so victory was undeterminable.

Although it was true that the female knight was more qualified, Silver would disagree. Kyoka is nicknamed 'Goddess of the slave planet' for her rotten and torturous nature to torment the men she captures as she pleased. Although, what Mard Geer was looking for was disposal not toys.

Knowing that she won't get the assignment, Silver ignored Kyoka's comment and patiently waited for Mard to address him.

The evil king cooled down despite Silvers insulting tone and suggestion raised. He lifted his hand to indicate Silvers suggestion is not adequate.

Mard slowly walked to his throne "Silence Kyoka, don't interrupt when it is not your place, you are still a women in my presence, know your manners." Mard growled at the woman and she fearfully responded with a gulp and a nod.

Afterward he turned to the older man "Silver if you concluded with that approach then there's a guarantee I thought of it ages before. This land, to my dismay, has a sense of righteousness, if I kill the rebels with no reasoning more will sprout. They're weeds and the only way to eradicate them is by a proper procedure."

He sat on his throne, placing his elbow on the arm rest and in an intellectual position cradling his head.

Kyoka took a step forward "What would that procedure be, my Lord?"

Mard raised his eyebrows in disbelief that she hadn't reached the conclusion herself.

"He needs the people to be on his side. The rebels will be smoked out when we have the numbers." Silver spoke up.

Kyoka bowed her head in shame for not figuring out the obvious.

"Indeed… But every scenario I contemplate to gain their… _trust-_ " he scowled at the word "-Mere customaries won't please them. As long as I am on the throne they will despise me."

"Then have someone on the throne that they won't despise." a new voice appeared.

"Seilah!" Kyoka yelled.

Mard "Kyoka quiet!" The king barked at his knight.

Kyoka's lip trembled with anger at her associate's that just entered. Silver spoke in her place though.

"What nonsense do you speak of Seilah?"

The woman that entered the room was the tactician to Mard's forces. Her sereneness was overly exaggerated; nothing startled the black haired woman.

Her uninterested eyes fell onto the slightly confused king.

She opened the book in her hands to where her bookmark was and continued to read as she spoke "My Lord, I don't mean it in the way you think. Look beside your chair, what is it that you _don't_ see?"

Mard peered over the vacant spot next to him, it dawned upon him that the vacancy belonged to another seat.

"Another Throne" Mard said aloud with the corners of his mouth going upward.

"To gain the trust of these insects I must marry."

Kyoka's pupil's dilated "H-how will that gain the trust of the people my Lord?" she asked in disbelief.

"Think Kyoka, he won't marry just any girl. She must be a beloved queen or princess. Someone that the people will be comfortable with." Silver explained.

She understood that much, but to find someone like that in this land was not as easy as one presumed.

Mard laughed to himself "When those insects side with her I can finally exterminate those traitors."

After his short celebration he turned to the black haired tactician "Seilah, is there such a woman I can obtain in this land?"

Seliah bit the inside of her cheek, she had recalled of a maiden but the effort might be for nothing.

Mard had noticed her inner turmoil "Speak." He growled.

The black haired woman hesitated for a moment before starting the tale she had heard of "Many years ago a land of this country was separated and had a hierarchy. Although, the tale is that it was destroyed one night by a sorcerer."

"Zeref?" Mard asked excitedly.

"No, this sorcerer was one that worked for the King and Queen. The sorcerer killed the King and Queen but spared their only daughter." Seilah said with distain in her voice.

"Where is the child now?" Kyoka asked.

"The Sorcerer locked her away in a magical tower on an Island called Galuna, quite a trip from Hargeon port. According to the tale the girl should be 21 by now."

Mard stood from his throne and rubbed his chin while thinking "Who could I send to retrieve her though? Maybe some minor soldiers?"

Seilah shook her head "It's not that simple your highness. Besides the fact that the tower is so far from here and cursed, there's one more thing that prevents her rescue."

Mard was confused again at his tactician.

"Apologies, let me explain. The Sorcerer grew ill after he took the girl, when he was about to die he cast a spell on himself that turned him into a Dragon."

The rest of the room grew silent with wide unbelieving eyes at what they heard.

Seilah continued "It's not worth it my Lord, we should find another princess."

Mard didn't show any emotion, he pondered slightly before turning to the black haired woman. "Before I decide whether it's not worth it, I want to hear of this princess you speak of, and her Name. Speak truthfully Seilah, I know when I'm being lied to."

The Tactician was growing agitated that her king didn't drop the subject, as she is known for not over exerting herself in anything she deemed useless in the end. "She is known as Princess Lucy Heartfilia. I remember tales of the girl resembling her late mother, very pleasant looking. She was loved by her father's realm. Many surrounding lands envied not having a princess like her. In fact she was good friends with the princess we disposed of."

"Too bad we killed her so early, we wouldn't be in this position" Mard groaned.

Silver wanted to laugh but knew it wasn't the appropriate time. After Seilah's explanation he watched his king think deeply on whether or not to proceed with retrieving the princess or to search for another. Mard was irritated about the decision he needed to make.

"Who would retrieve her?" he asked himself aloud.

Silver spoke up out of turn "Why not send one of us my Lord? The beast would be no challenge."

I surge of anger went through Mard's body and he pointed his sword to the older man.

"Would you like me to kill you now? Or would you like the beast to do it?" Mard scorned.

Kyoka felt a cold sweat run down her face whilst in her helmet, the tone her Lord used scared her. If anything wrong was said in the room, someone would perish.

"This beast you are so willing to fight was a sorcerer, it is no ordinary Dragon. Let me be clear, Sir Fullbuster, that my Nine Demon Gates ensure my protection, if one leaves Fiore even for a day or two then the rebels will try to take advantage of it. So rest assured, I know you are itching to fight but I will find someone suitable to deal with this beast."

Silver swallowed nervously at his king's threat and nodded understanding the situation.

"Where can we find such a person?" Kyoka asked.

"I've made my decision then. I want a formal proclamation to all the beast hunting establishments. Jackal and Torafuzer will go to the most prosperous one and decide on whom to send to the palace for my evaluation." The King of the underworld proclaimed

All three kneeled to their king, collectively accepting his orders. Mard sat down once more on his self-procured throne, smiling, or rather smirking at his master plan to get rid of the pests in his way.

He was fantasizing about devilish things beyond anyone's imagination. Oh how the evil king had so much in store.

So much so he was confident no one could stop him.

With an evil smirk he tested the name off his lips for the first time "Lucy Heartfilia… The Underworld King is missing his Queen."

* * *

Hargeon was once a prosperous port town; the fishermen would make their daily venture to the port and stay out at sea for hours. The fish mongers would patiently wait for the new catches of the day and the humble merchants and venders would flourish with regular customers and a good amount of new faces in the town.

What has become of the town was nowhere near as safe as it used to be.

Given it was still a busy town to buy fish and other foods. But now there was no guarantee it was safe to have open pockets.

The people who usually lived in the town knew how to handle the thieves amongst their stalls, given that they would need a knife on them.

The hollers of the mongers clashed against another, creating boisterous noise added to the amount of people around you would have to speak at a level above normal. It didn't help that the town already had inhabitants that were louder than all of them put together.

It was to be expected since the Hunters union was situated right in the centre of town. The drunken laughter would carry on till night non-stop, along with the fights which made the day feel complete.

There were two figures approaching the union; outsiders new to the town, each glare from the citizens was enough to send any newcomers packing. These two men didn't back down, given their own appearances were to be feared.

The first man was of normal stature but his smile contained pointed sharp teeth and looked treacherous and feral. His shaggy hair looked to be of a dirty blonde and his ears were a little bigger than others as you could see them poke out of his hair.

The man looked vain and conceited, unlike his companion.

He was a tower compared to normal men. Indeed he was like the previous man in that he was boastful and proud, but this man was a sharp contrast to the other.

He looked older and not one to fool around, his dark skin looked sickly and his eyes looked sharp and callous. His body mass was impressive, he looked like he could lift an ox by himself.

Both men albeit not the best combination were sent by their king in search for a Hunter.

As they entered the building, the younger man became slightly excited at seeing a brawl in the one corner but his companion gave him a dangerous look; warning him to behave knowing he would jump in at any time causing more trouble than needed.

"Come on Rogue…." A nearby voice moaned out like a child.

The two men turned to see two bantering young men drinking. The one moaning was a young man with bright blonde hair spiking everywhere and was childlike in the way he carried himself despite the scar on the one side of his face near his eyebrow. His attire was odd indeed as he was supposedly a hunter yet he wore clothing that didn't protect him at all but was certainly ostentatious of his physique.

The man next to him was much grimmer than his companion. His eyes were dark red likened to spilled blood. The front part of his shaggy hair covered his pale face and the rest was tied up. The messy long bangs covered his face fairly well but did reveal a large scar that laid in the centre of his face crossing over his nose. The young man was clearly the opposite of his blonde friend as he was more reserved in appearance and by character.

The younger man Jackal wanted to start to trouble; it was in the sadistic man's nature, in a relatable way he was compared to the blonde man in the childish aspect. Torafuzer; the darker and older gentleman, step forward to the table holding the only sober men in the building before Jackal could pounce on someone.

"You two, we request assistance. Who is in charge of this Hunters union?" Torafuzer demanded.

The blonde male at the table bursted out laughing "Why so formal pops? You're speaking to him." His laughing settled and he lifted his thumb and point toward himself.

Torafuzer wasn't one for humour, he only glowered at the blonde.

Jackal laughed next to him similar to the other blonde "You? Be serious, where is he?"

The blonde laughed along with him like an imbecile. Torafuzer felt like killing both blondes right here. His thoughts were altered when the black haired boy stood up and punched his friend in the head

"Act like an adult for once, we're receiving business." He growled.

The blonde winced and showed a glimmer of anger back at his companion "Right right… I am really the co-owner. Sting, is what I'm known by and my associate and other co-owner here is Rogue."

Rogue was the more polite of the two, if Torafuzer had to choose who to kill last it would be him.

"Our employer requires a Hunter that can kill a beast." Torafuzer said shrewdly.

Sting turned to Rogue with a more serious face "Depends on the beast, our personnel have different fortes so to speak."

Jackal was becoming antsy being in the shabby union, and grew angry "For the Lord's sake, it's a Dragon!"

The whole busy building froze at the information. Regretting his actions Torafuzer punched him hard on the head, actually restraining from murdering the imbecile.

Jackal grit his teeth, he know it was coming but still was itching to throw one back. His attention was diverted to the dead silence and attention pointed to them.

Rogue and Sting looked at another seriously ignoring the rest of the building paying them ample attention "Then there's only one person that can help you…" Sting said in a low voice.

"And it would be the Dragon Hunter, **Natsu Dragneel**."

* * *

 **RC12: Wow! First chapter is done and I'm super nervous of how the response will go.**

 **JBB: Great for our first chapter, hope I can make the second one just as great XD**

 **SOOO the next chapter will be done by my partner in crime, my twinzie and friendie pie \\(0w0)/**

 **Much support will be appreciated for this first chapter to take flight! Thank you so much for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**What's up guys, JellyBeanBubbles here with chapter 2, hope you like it. I think it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.**

 **Please leave a review for us guys, this is our first collab and feedback is essential for us to know what you think.**

 **Anyway the next chapter will be done by my partner in crime RockinCass12, so please enjoy XD**

* * *

One would think that a name such as 'Natsu Dragneel' would belong to a great strong warrior who was wise and powerful looking.

At least that's what Torafuzer pictured when he heard of the so-called dragon hunter; not some pink haired brat stuffing his face with chicken.

Needless to say he was not impressed.

"That is the so-called dragon hunter of the guild? We'd be better off sending a nameless knight than him" said Jackal with a dismissive tone.

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge him if I were you. He happens to be the strongest member of this guild and has slain numerous dragons to date" said Rogue with a glare.

"I wouldn't call him the strongest…" muttered Sting as he took a swig of his drink.

Rogue sent Sting a deadpanned look while Sting refused to make eye contact.

"Anyway, you want to hunt a dragon he's your guy. Otherwise you're on your own" said Rogue.

Torafuzer and Jackal sent uneasy looks towards each other. Considering that time was of the essence they didn't really have any other options.

"Very well then, we'll hire him" said Torafuzer with his arms crossed.

"Seriously?!" yelled Jackal in disbelief.

"Alright then. Oi Natsu! Quit stuffing your face and get over here!" yelled Sting cheerfully.

Natsu turned his head and sent a glare in Sting's direction, his cheeks filled to the brim like a hamster.

He swallowed loudly and let out a belch that literally shook the building and made his way over to Sting.

"Yeah waddya want, I was in the middle a' sumthin'" he said in annoyance as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Ya know, most guys would show some respect to their guild master?" said Sting in annoyance.

Natsu smirked and crossed his arms "Beat me in a fight and maybe I will someday".

Sting cringed in annoyance and was getting ready to punch Natsu in the face until Rogue cleared his throat to bring him back to reality.

"As much as I would love to knock your teeth in right now, you have a job request" grumbled Sting as he took a large swig of his drink.

Natsu's eyes widened in surprise, he hasn't been needed for a job in a while.

"These men here claim to need a dragon hunter" Rogue clarified while gesturing toward Torafuzer and Jackal.

Natsu's eyes suddenly burned with intensity and seriousness, a shocking contrast to the way he was while eating it made Torafuzer blink in surprise.

"Is that right? Ya sure it's not just a really big wyvern, coz that's what happened the last time I got a request. Some idiots just don't seem to know the difference anymore" said Natsu with a glare aimed at Torafuzer.

"You take me for some kind of idiot boy? Of course it's a damn dragon, if it were a wyvern we wouldn't need any help from a guild" he said with disgust.

Natsu's smirk turned feral at his tone and he walked up to Torafuzer until he was right in his face "I don't think I like your tone pal. If you're so sure of yourself maybe you don't need my help hunting a dragon?" he said threateningly.

"Calm down Natsu" said Rogue with a warning glare.

"I doubt you could even kill so much as a wyvern let alone a dragon brat" said Jackal with a scoff.

Natsu glared at Jackal, the gaze was so intense he actually flinched; he felt like he was being burned.

Natsu clicked his tongue in annoyance and stepped away from Torafuzer.

"Alright, so where is this so called dragon of yours then? And let me tell ya, I've travelled nearly every corner of the country searching for 'em, I'm pretty sure there aren't any left" he said while waving his hand nonchalantly.

"Before I divulge any information I would like to know if you have accepted the request. Don't take me for a fool boy" said Torafuzer, a vein throbbing in his head in anger.

Natsu and Torafuzer engaged in a glaring match, neither one willing to turn away.

"Oh just take the job Natsu, its not like you have anything better to do, plus last time I checked you could use the money; guild food ain't free ya know" said Sting.

Natsu glanced at Sting and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Just how much are ya willing to pay anyway?" asked Natsu with a raised brow.

Torafuzer sighed in annoyance and Jackal was coiled so tight he looked ready to snap at any moment.

"Our employer is willing to offer you any jewel from his treasury that is of course, as long as you live up to his expectations anyway" said Torafuzer with a look of condescension.

"That a challenge I hear?" said Natsu with a challenging grin.

"Take it however you like, are you willing to accept the job or not?"

Natsu eyed the men in front of him, they didn't look like trustworthy people in the least. On the other hand they may actually have information on the dragon he's looking for, plus he'd be getting paid in the process. What did he really have to lose?

"Alright, you got yourselves a dragon hunter boys. I take it your 'employer' wants to see me and explain the job right?" asked Natsu with his arms crossed.

"In a manner of speaking yes. Meet us at the port once you've collected your tools and we shall take you to him. And do hurry, he is not a man who likes to be kept waiting" said Torafuzer as he walked out the guild with Jackal right behind him.

"Tch, he could be the friggen king for all I care, I'll be ready when I'll be ready, bastards" said Natsu in irritation.

That was the last straw for Jackal. He turned on his heel and grabbed Natsu by the collar of his shirt, his fist raised just waiting to hit him in the face.

"Cocky punk, ya wanna die? I'd be more than happy to oblige" said Jackal with a deadly glare while Natsu just stared at him with a bored expression.

"Jackal! That's enough, we've got what we came here for, don't stray from our plans" said Torafuzer with warning.

"But this punk's been begging for a beating since we got here!" yelled Jackal angrily.

"Think you can take me blondie? Gimme your best shot" said Natsu with a 'bring it on' gesture.

"Why you-!"

Torafuzer had run out of patience at this point and knocked Jackal out with a single chop to the back of his neck.

"Gah!"

Jackal slumped down onto the floor unceremoniously landing on his face.

"Incompetent simpleton" said Torafuzer as he picked Jackal up and slung him over his shoulder like a bag of rice.

"Meet us at the port within the hour, or we'll find someone else Natsu Dragneel" he said as he walked out the doors of the guild.

For a while the guild was silent, but then they slowly went back to what they were doing.

"Wow, I haven't seen a guy that grumpy since I first met Rogue" said Sting with a smirk.

Rogue glared at Sting with an unimpressed look.

Natsu chuckled at them and heaved out a sigh "Whelp, better get my stuff. I just hope this isn't a colossal waste of my time" he said as he walked out the guild to head towards his home.

Sting and Rogue watched him leave silently, each giving the other a look of apprehension.

"You think it might actually be a dragon?" asked Sting seriously.

"Can't say, those men didn't look like they'd confuse one with a wyvern. But if it is, it might be the one Natsu has been searching for. The last dragon alive" said Rogue.

"Acnologia… I've heard rumours that his roar alone can destroy a village, ya think Natsu can take him?" asked Sting in a worried tone.

Rogue sat silently and thought for a moment "I can't imagine Natsu losing a fight, so I guess we just have to have faith in him and his abilities right?" he said with a smile of reassurance.

Sting smirked at his friend "Brother… since when did you get all sappy?" he said with a chuckle.

"Shut up you idiot" said Rogue with an embarrassed look.

"Aw look you've gone all shy on me! That's so adorable!" yelled Sting while clutching his stomach from laughing.

"Ok that's it!" said Rogue as he lunged for Sting and began yet another bar brawl.

"Oooh look Kinana, Sting and Rogue are fighting again!" yelled a lilac haired girl with glasses; she was blushing a deep red while watching the boys hit each other.

"I see Laki! I love it when I see them like this" squealed a dark purple haired girl.

"It's so hot!" they squealed as they clutched each other's hands in some weird fangirl mode.

"What's got them all hot and bothered?"

"Sting and Rogue again, I swear those girls read too much into things"

"I don't get why it appeals to them so much"

"Typical male response" said a white haired barmaid with a sweet smile.

"Do you get it Mira?"

"Well… I can sort of see the appeal but…"

"But?"

"I refuse to believe that Sting can love anyone other than sweet Yukino! I simply will not allow it!" she yelled suddenly in a fit of rage, her personality changing in a complete 180.

"Big sis, you're letting your demon side out ya know" said a younger shorter haired version of Mira.

"Oh dear, my bad Lisanna" she said suddenly becoming sweet again, mildly embarrassed at her own outburst.

"Mira can be so scary sometimes hey Macao?"

"No need to remind me Wakaba"

* * *

Torafuzer was waiting at the port with Jackal still knocked out at his feet. He was not a very patient man, he always preferred things done quickly and without hesitation, so waiting around was starting to make him irritable.

"Ugh, what happened?" asked Jackal as he woke up rubbing the back of his sore neck.

"You were being a nuisance so I shut you up" explained Torafuzer with his arms crossed.

"Me?! That Dragneel brat was the one giving us attitude and you call me the nuisance?!" yelled Jackal in disbelief.

"You should learn not to let your anger control you, you might get yourself killed by it one day" said Torafuzer with a warning glare.

Jackal scoffed in annoyance and stood up from the ground.

"So is that brat coming or what?" asked Jackal with his arms crossed.

"Ya know, I don't know why you keep callin' me a brat. I'm 22 I'll have you know" said Natsu as he suddenly appeared behind the two men, shocking them in the process.

Torafuzer was staring at him in surprise, he hadn't picked up his presence at all. There were very few who could sneak up on him, but those who did were Mard Geers' servants now.

Jackal was also surprised at his sudden appearance but chose to overlook it when he registered what Natsu said.

"I don't care how old you are, a brat's a brat" said Jackal in disgust.

"So what does that make you then?" asked Natsu with a raised brow and challenging smirk.

Jackal grit his teeth and growled at Natsu angrily; he was at his wits end with this punk and would love to bash his brains on the pavement.

"If you don't watch your mouth cherry head, I'll decorate the floor with your insides" warned Jackal with a feral grin and his fist raised.

"Ooh~ Scary, I bet the ladies just line up for you don't they?" said Natsu with a sneer.

Jackal was about ready to pounce when Torafuzers strong grip on his neck stopped him dead in his tracks.

"As entertaining as this is, we are short of time. Please come this way Mr Dragneel, our employer is waiting for you" said Torafuzer while dragging Jackal away.

As soon as they were a good enough distance away from him Torafuzer muttered something to Jackal.

"Keep calm, once he's done his job I don't care what you do to him, and neither will his Majesty. Be patient until then" he said with a strict tone.

Once Jackal heard this he calmed down significantly, in his mind he pictured the many ways he could make Dragneel suffer at his hands which would be bathed in his blood, a creepy grin worked its way on his face.

"Sounds good, that is if the dragon doesn't kill him first" he said dusting off his pants.

Torafuzer smirked, his sadistic side coming out "Well, yes, there is that"

Little did they know, Natsu's hearing was ten times better than the average human, so he could hear everything they had been saying.

He kept his gaze on his surroundings as he followed them, feigning ignorance the whole time; he wouldn't want them knowing that he could hear anything they said whenever he wanted.

While he did want to find the last dragon, he wasn't so sure about his so-called employer. They referred to the guy as 'His Majesty'; he wondered what they meant by that. Was he some sort of big shot business man or something? And what use did he have for a dead dragon, he wondered.

Natsu glanced at the Blonde haired man who seemed to have a beef with him as he continued to have a 'private' discussion with the larger man. Natsu didn't know what it was, but he seriously disliked that guy. Everything about him screamed evil, he looked like he took pleasure in other people's misery.

Now Natsu was not one to judge a person based on appearances, but when his instincts told him a guy was rotten he believed them. They said the same thing about the larger man, but he decided he personally disliked the blonde more.

"So where is this 'employer' of yours anyway?" he asked with his arms folded behind his head in a bored manner.

Torafuzer glanced at Natsu over his shoulder, a scowl on his face "Crocus" he answered uncaring.

Natsu's eyes widened in shock "Crocus?! That's like a ten hour carriage ride!" he said paling slightly.

Torafuzer raised a brow at Natsu's odd behaviour, why did he suddenly seem very afraid of something?

"Is that a problem? You accepted the job right?" he asked facing Natsu with his arms crossed.

"W-well yeah, but ya never told me the guy was that far away. I mean do I really have ta meet him?" said Natsu with a hint of nervousness.

"Listen you little punk, you either meet our boss or we give the job to someone else. Personally I would love to leave without you, so what's it gonna be?" asked Jackal with an annoyed glare.

Natsu scowled at Jackal fiercely; he REALLY didn't want this guy to get the better of him, but if he went on a carriage he risked exposing something he really didn't want other people to know about.

Like he was caught between a rock and… an even bigger rock? How did that saying go again? He forgot.

Maybe he could find a way of getting to Crocus without taking a carriage? But ho-

"Aha!" he exclaimed suddenly.

The two men stared at him in annoyance and confusion, they were starting to question the man's sanity at this point.

"Look guys, I don't go on any jobs without my buddy Happy, so taking a carriage won't be possible for me right now" said Natsu smugly.

"What the hell is a 'Happy'?" questioned Jackal with a raised brow.

"He's not a 'what' he's a 'who', and he happens to be my best friend and the fastest horse in the country" said Natsu with pride.

"You mean to tell me you won't take a carriage; which is several times more comfortable than a horse, because the horse is your fucking friend?!" exclaimed Jackal in annoyance.

"Comfort is for the weak I say, not to mention my journey will be several times faster when it comes to Happy." said Natsu, not picking up on the cockiness used.

"That's it, I'm killing him" said Jackal as he marched towards Natsu with his arms raised to strangle him.

However he was stopped by Torafuzer placing a vice grip on his shoulder.

"I don't really care how you get there as long as you arrive by tomorrow morning the latest. Think you can handle that?" questioned Torafuzer with a raised brow.

"No problem!" said Natsu with a thumbs up gesture.

Jackal rolled his eyes at this and turned away to continue to the train station.

"Think happy thoughts Jackal, like his blood on the pavement, or being reduced to a walking carpet…" he muttered to himself.

"Very well then Dragneel, when you arrive in Crocus be sure to meet us at the HoneyBone inn, we shall take you to our employer from there" said Torafuzer as he turned away and walked with Jackal following right behind him.

"HoneyBone inn, got it" said Natsu with a curt nod.

Natsu watched them walk off, as soon as they were out of sight he let out a breath of relief.

At least he didn't have to worry about them finding out that he had extreme motion sickness now. He just needed to make sure that Happy was all prepped up for the journey to Crocus, and that there were enough fish flavoured biscuits to keep him motivated. Seriously, what kind of horse likes fish flavoured biscuits?

Natsu sighed to himself and made his way back to his home, where Happy was surely waiting for him in his stable.

"Shoulda asked where it was before I agreed to do the damned job" he said while scratching the back of his head.

Meanwhile, lurking somewhere in the shadows a figure had been observing the three men since they left the guild, keeping careful watch on their movements and conversations.

This person pulled out a small handheld magic crystal, known as a lacrima, carefully concealing it for it was an illegal practice to own or use such things. The person checked their surroundings and moved in close to the object to speak.

"Hello, Thunder dragon come in, this is the She-devil, come in Thunder dragon" said the voice, sounding soft and feminine.

Suddenly a buzzing sound was coming from the lacrima and a hooded figure appeared inside the clear crystal.

"… _bzzt…_ This is Thunder dragon, what Intel do ya got for me She-devil… _bzzt…_ " said a deep manly voice from the lacrima.

"I have confirmed that two demon gates requested assistance from the hunter's guild this morning. They asked if there was a person who could kill a dragon" said the voice sternly.

"… _bzzt…_ A dragon ya say? So they recruited the Salamander then? … _bzzt…"_ said the man's voice curiously.

"Right, and it appears to be a personal request from the Underworld king himself" they said with worry.

"… _bzzt…_ Hmmm, I don't like this. Why would that bastard need to go as far as request guild assistance to kill a dragon? More importantly why does he need a dead dragon in the first place? … _bzzt…"_

"I'm really worried, what if it's some kind of trap? You know how he gets when it comes to dragons"

"… _bzzt…_ Don't worry Mi-ahem, She-devil, he doesn't know about our involvement so this can't be about that. But now that he's been noticed by the Underworld king himself the Old man's gonna want him in the loop, this might actually work out for us, we can be one step ahead of that bastard this way… _bzzt…_ " said the voice angrily.

"I hope you're right. By the way, will you be coming home tonight?" they asked with worry and a hint of hope.

"… _bzzt…_ I think it would be safer if I didn't, those so-called royal guards are looking around this area more frequently. I don't wanna risk compromising your position… _bzzt…_ " said the voice tenderly.

"Oh, I see. I understand. Well that's all I have for now, She-devil signing out" said the voice in a disappointed tone.

"… _bzzt…_ Hey come on now, don't be sad, if it try I can make it tomorrow, please don't be sad beloved… _bzzt…"_ said the man's voice desperately pleading.

A small giggle erupted from the person at his pleading "I'm sorry, I just miss you is all. As long as you try to show up soon it's fine. Anyway, stay safe my Thunder dragon" they said softly.

The voice in the lacrima sighed in relief "… _bzzt…_ I miss you too demon, I'll do my best to come tomorrow. In the meantime, stay safe love…bzzt…" said the voice softly, and the lacrima's glow faded into its normal colour.

The hooded figure sighed sadly and hid the lacrima away in their cloak. They glanced cautiously around before taking off down the alley. A breeze blew buy, exposing a single strand of silver hair from the cloak before they disappeared in the darkness.

"I hope one day we can walk around together without fear again"

* * *

 **JBB: Wow, so many feels writing this part. And yes I ship Miraxus, they are perfect for each other!**

 **Don't forget to leave a review guys!**

 **RC12: I love Miraxus too… sigh. Thank you everyone for the amazing support for the first chapter. Let's share the same enthusiasm for chapter two. It was done brilliantly!**

 **JBB: Naaw thanks twin XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello readers! Its Rockingcass12 here for the third chapter**

 **Jellybeanbubbles and I are so grateful for the amazing support given in the last chapter and we're glad that our Miraxus fan base is well supported even though it's a minor pairing in this story and the compliments on the compatibility between myself and Jellbeanbubbles writings so far are very much treasured.**

 **I had to write this chapter veeeeeery slowly due to a nasty writers block. So hope this chapter was worth the wait!**

* * *

It was a dawn of yet another day and also the deadline of Natsu Dragneel's arrival for his escort to his employer. Once nearing the inn he was to meet the men of his soon to be 'boss', he dismounted his horse that was of the colour of metallic blue. Natsu led the horse on foot for the rest of the journey to Honeybone inn.

Even though he had been in Crocus before, Natsu couldn't stop aweing at how breathtakingly huge the city was, it felt like an eternity walking to the rendezvous point.

Although now it seemed that the size of the city was the only magnificent thing about it. It was once a place of festivities, beautiful gardens and flowers, wonderful hospitable inns and restaurants and warm earnest residents.

Natsu had never been one for politics or monarchy squabbles, but he knew very well the new king was _definitely_ not take good care of Fiore, he could see it in all his travels after the new king had usurped the throne. Natsu was disheartened at what had become of the once beautiful Crocus.

As they walked Natsu yawned loudly next to his horse Happy, he suddenly realised how little rest he had on his journey to get to Crocus on time. Nonetheless he would rather have walked then spend torturous hours on a carriage.

The pinkette knew the other two should be arriving after him… then again Natsu did get terribly lost on the way… and he had fished for food and napped yesterday evening.

"You were cutting it short on time brat. What happened to your oh-so fast horse with the ridiculous name?" a mocking voice called out as he was nearing the in.

Natsu's eyebrow twitched at hearing the familiar cocky voice. Usually he would throw the first punch and start a fight right there, but Natsu didn't retaliate violently like Jackal was hoping for; instead Natsu can only be the same cocky 'brat' he keeps being called.

"Well I was tryin' ta delay the next time I'd see your foul face, unfortunately good things must come to an end." Natsu said dramatically while smirking.

Standing next to Jackal, Torafuzer tried to stifle his laughter at the comment but regained his stoic facade but still received an unpleasant sounding growl from his companion.

As Jackal was about to retort, Torafuzer gave the two a scary look to shut them up "Now… I'm pleased you could make it Natsu Dragneel, we'll take you to our employer now."

Natsu nodded while roping Happy to the horse's station, and collected his knapsack and sword. The two escorts proceeded to walk in front of Natsu, he looked beyond the two figures to get some idea of where they are heading. His eyes were set on the mighty Mercurius Castle that lay in the centre of the city, or rather took up half the city. The pinkette guessed they were heading to the upper class ring of the city, perhaps a duke or noble was requesting his services.

But his guess appeared to be very wrong as they kept walking, passing the Noble estates and drawing closer to the castle.

"What the hell?" Natsu muttered as they approached the entrance of the castle.

Jackal smirked at hearing the pinkette's mutter "Is your confidence thinning brat? Where'd all that ego from earlier go?"

Natsu snarled back at Jackal "My ego is nothin' compared to that fat head of yours. Just shut up and take me to your employer." Natsu was just about at the end of his rope with this guy.

Jackal was smiling despite the brash comment. Even Torafuzer was smirking next to him, amused at their little inside joke.

The gates were enormous and carved in beautiful patterns, twisting and curving in every direction. There were hundreds of guards in sight when it opened and they all simultaneously bowed before Jackal and Torafuzer.

"Welcome back Torafuzer the Dark, and Sir Jackal." The head officer said in front of his peers.

Torafuzer and Jackal ignored him and walked past while Natsu stood still in awe of the castle and the fact that his escorts were higher ranking people here. Before his two escorts got too far he caught up to them with a mouthful of questions.

"Who the hell am I seein'? Who are you exactly? And who in the world is my employer?!"

Torafuzer kept walking along the long hallway and ignored Natsu's small outburst, Jackal though, had much to add to Natsu's irritation.

The dirty headed blonde stalked back to Natsu and moved in close to his face. Provoking Natsu with his dirty glare.

"Listen you, we chose you on behalf of our employer, but if you carry on making a noise we will throw you out and leave you jobless without a second thought." He said leering, taunting him in a way.

Natsu grumbled and glared Jackal in the eye, he hated to admit it but it was true that they could throw him on the curb, and that wouldn't help the dragon hunter since he needed to… well… hunt dragons. His employer's lackeys were just a little bump on the road.

After their short stare down Natsu shoved passed Jackal almost knocking the dirty blonde over, which again, Jackal ignored since he was having too much fun with this one.

The halls were long and seemed like a maze of sorts with everything looking the same, they would walk past décor or doors that would make Natsu think they were walking in circles they were so similar.

Natsu's palms were sweating, was he meeting a castle official? Or perhaps a high ranking officer? The King…?

Natsu shook his head at his last thought, for why would the King need his services, or better yet, need him to slay a dragon? It just sounded ridiculous.

Although… Natsu has been wrong before, many times actually.

Torafuzer and Jackal halted abruptly at a grand entrance to an unknown chamber, the door was ten times larger than any man that would stand next to it, and was an exquisite piece of art.

Natsu gulped finally realising who might be on the opposite end of the door.

The door swung open with haste by the two escorts and Natsu felt his self-image being questioned. His mouth pulled into a frown at seeing none other than the new King of Fiore; Mard Geer.

His Majesty was seated upon his throne uncaring of who just entered, taking in his goblet of wine. He had an eerie smile on his face that would've sent chills up any ordinary man's spine. Except Natsu wasn't normal man, his face was nothing less than emotionless, which Jackal mistook for fear, Torafuzer on the other hand became concerned that he couldn't read the young man's expression.

Mard Geer finally made eye contact with the Dragon Hunter, the Kings cold black emotionless eyes were gateways into the underhanded mans' mind. Natsu thought to himself how careless it was for a man in such a high position to let anyone see through his façade, and his eyes were screaming at Natsu.

The men and woman, of which Natsu counted seven, were surrounding his Majesty were less of a threat than the man on the throne. Natsu would class them with the men that escorted him. Basically Natsu ranked them at a level below him due to his ego. Although he felt indifferently about the man they serve.

The Dark King's smile didn't falter; in fact he just folded one leg over the other casually and looked towards his men and Natsu.

"Come in gentlemen. Torafuzer, Jackal introduce me to the fine young man behind you." He said amiably, it was almost sickening to Natsu's ears the way he said it.

Natsu was escorted by the two men in front of Mard's throne, they practically threw themselves on the floor to kneel before the King.

Natsu raised his eyebrow at them and almost mocking the two men, he bowed slightly, since he held enough common sense to know that he was in the presence of a man who could kill him right there and then.

Mard's fake polite smile turned into a foul smirk "Seems you are a very proud young man, the intensity I see in you might be taken the wrong way though."

Natsu didn't answer but only nodded which in turn made Mard even more narcissistic.

Torafuzer and Jackal lifted themselves from the ground and both turned slightly to glare at the pinkette.

Torafuzer then took a step forward "This, your majesty is _Dragon Hunter_ Natsu Dragneel. He was highly recommended by the best Hunters guild association in the land."

"Highly recommended you say?" Mard said trying to sound impressed.

"More like he's the only one stupid enough to take on those creatures." Jackal said with a offending tone.

Natsu rolled his eyes knowing he couldn't retort to the bastard now.

"Are you implying he's the only one in the land Jackal?" Mard asked curiously.

All eyes darted to Natsu inquisitively, especially the eyes of a certain tactician; Seilah. Natsu particularly noticed her watching him as her mind was compiling information that she might know of him. Her brain was a bountiful archive of facts and important information but she could barely trace his name in her mind.

Mard Geer sat up and stretched slightly "Well, before we get down to business I'd like to enquire about how many dragons you've slain."

Natsu's mouth tightened, not really sure how to explain himself.

He inhaled and exhaled out his nose "I haven't really kept count, but I killed the Axios Mountains nest when a disease swept Fiore that affected the dragons. From then I travelled the whole country to get rid of every single one."

Seliah's eyes widened which was rare for her "That was twelve years ago… h-how old were you?"

Mard's interest was piqued at Seliah's question and by Natsu's reaction, his face showed he was in pain and his fidgeting showed he was uncomfortable.

Natsu hesitated before answering "I was Ten years old at the time." He said lowly.

A mumbling went around the room, and some were especially shocked while others silently kept to themselves.

Another one of the Tartarus' gates was annoyingly cackling "This boy sure knows how to make a first impression! How much are the lives of those beasts worth?! How much?! How much?!"

Torafuzer's patience was wearing thin "Franmalth, stop that infernal cackling. It's undignified."

The one named Franmalth made Natsu hot with fury. The knight was a horrid spectacle to behold, he was short and disgustingly fat with a greenish complexion. He had only one eye as it seemed the other was missing, and he kept spitting each time he spoke.

He made someone angry that would've been best no to. Franmalth though, didn't notice that Natsu stalked to where he was standing.

The sound of a sword unsheathing caught his attention and sure enough in front of him Natsu's sword was pointed directly at him. Franmalth normally wouldn't be shocked at a sword pointed at him but this time it was different.

The sword was on fire.

"Listen you lard of crap, you better damn well show some respect. I had no choice but to kill them because of that disease, not for some sick thrill!" Natsu roared.

The others tried to intervene until Silver pulled Natsu back by his collar and pushed him away from Franmalth. The action made the large man sigh in relief and in turn wipe off some sweat on his forehead.

"Apologies, but you are in his Majesty's presence. I want to ask one final question and then this interview will conclude and you may be on your way, far from my comrades." The older man calmly said.

Natsu stared down the older knight irritably and realised his impulsive decision wasn't the best idea. He straightened his back and glanced at the King who hadn't said anything for some time but looked to be enjoying himself, as if the pinkette was some kind of jester.

Natsu gave off a low growl and extinguished his sword by sheathing it. His gaze on the older man was hard, waiting in anticipation.

"How did you come into Dragon Hunting?" Silver asked.

Natsu's gaze hit the floor immediately; Silver knew he hit the nail on the head by his reaction.

"Do tell us the reason Sir Dragneel. Your hesitance and behaviour are indeed making me curious." Mard Geer spoke up, mockingly.

Natsu's proudly lifted his head and made eye contact with the King "I assure you, _your Highness,_ that it was not by choice." Natsu grumpily replied.

Before he could elaborate his reasoning he noticed the smug faces of those he already despised in the room, creating a mental note to himself to punch every single one of them once he finished his job.

"I was raised by Dragons at an age I do not recall. Thus over the years I learnt their behaviour, weaknesses and was well taught on everything I know in combat today. When the disease sprung I made a promise to a Great Dragon, I promised him that I would eradicate all Dragons that would cause harm to the land."

The room fell silent; everyone was beyond shocked at the news. Even Jackal, who always had something to say, was quiet. Mard's smile was almost lost but regained itself.

"Ah, well, I think you're just what I need then." The King said condescendingly.

Natsu's inner battle to keep his mannerisms together wasn't going as well as he thought until Mard said he had been given the job.

"I grow tired, everyone leave, and Kyoka please do explain Sir Dragneel's assignment so that he may be on his way." Mard shooed off.

Once the room cleared Natsu still stood in front of the King with his mouth firm in a frown.

"Let's go Dragneel" Kyoka grinned wickedly.

Natsu broke his gaze with Mard and turned to Kyoka who looked amused at Natsu's displeasured face.

Once out of the throne room, Kyoka turned to the Dragon Hunter with a sadistic smile on her face for no apparent reason "Now to business. As you quite well know there is a Dragon that needs to be slain. But what we truly need is for you to retrieve a person."

"A person? Who?" Natsu said with a raised eyebrow.

"Princess Lucy Heartfilia." She confirmed.

"A Princess? What in Mavis' name is a Princess doing with a dragon?" he asked sceptically.

Kyoka frowned slightly at the unnecessary questioning "It really doesn't matter why she's there. What matters is that she is in a tower guarded by the dragon. The King just wants you to retrieve her and bring her back safely, and you may kill your Dragon along the way."

Natsu wasn't convinced, but had to let his suspicions slip and he unwillingly nodded his head at the woman.

She smiled again sinisterly "Good… Now, her location is somewhere on Galuna island; which is all the information we have. Because of the lack of information the King has permitted you less than two months to retrieve her. Any more time than that we will just assume you are deceased."

Natsu irritation leaked back in "And what makes you think I'll die that easily? All you idiotic knights are infuriating me." He said walking away from the female knight.

He stopped abruptly when he suddenly recognized something about the information she gave him "Galuna?! The Hell! You made me come all the way here so I can be told to hop on a god forsaken boat that was on standby from where I was originally?! I can't believe you wasted my time! You sons of – huh? Where did you go?!" Natsu yelled at the woman who seemed to have slipped away at some point.

The pinkette rubbed his temple and sighed at the thought of this burdensome journey ahead of him. He may have unknowingly agreed to more than that he had bargained for.

* * *

The crystal blue waters of the ocean were breathtakingly beautiful at every time of the day. From dawn till dusk and dusk till dawn, the view of the shimmering waters always had a way of making her smile and forget everything for a much needed brief moment.

It was one of the only things she enjoyed while being imprisoned.

This woman was dazzlingly beautiful; the sun generously shined on her which showed off her long blonde hair which looked to be made of gold and her eyes against the sun resembled embers. Her skin was pale and unblemished, and her features were nothing short of flawless. And this beauty was all but trapped in an accursed tower.

The woman looking over the ocean sighed sadly and redirected her gaze to the disgusting sight of the land she lived upon.

You could see just a little beyond the tower she was trapped in, the rest of the fortress was all in ruins and scattered debris. And just beyond that was a lake of fire and sulphur, a single bridge connected the forbidden area and the rest of the island.

The woman scowled at the Black beast returning to its nest in the ruins it created.

Unladylike, she snorted at the creature and spat outside her window to show her distaste for the creature.

Very unladylike indeed, for she is the Princess of Konzern. Or so a journal told her, since she had no memories of being one or being raised like one.

All she could recall was the loving faces of her parents but beyond that she can't remember much except that they have perished. The main reason she wept many nights.

But as she had gotten older the tears slowly dried up and the memories of her parents have become that of yesterday. And likewise was the lady known as Princess Heartfilia.

She is just Lucy Heartfilia now.

She turned her gaze from the outside and crouched down to retrieve an item from under her bed.

What she had in her right hand was a handcrafted bow, the lines were exquisitely precise, it was well crafted and sturdy regardless what direction you pull from. In her left she held a few hand-crafted arrows that weren't as well made as the bow. She gripped them tightly and turned her head to the window once more.

"Just a few more days, and then I'll finally escape…"

* * *

 **Sorry Lucy's scene was sorta short. And another sorry for the story being updated later than usual.**

 **Big thanks to everyone who has been greatly supporting us! We're in awe that we're nearing 50 followers! You guys are great!**

 **The next chapter will be posted by Jellybeanbubbles but till then please leave an encouraging review of the story :3**

 **JBB: Woohoo! Chapter 3 done! Good job as always twin ;D**


	4. Chapter 4

**MDLH CH 4**

 **JBB: Hey guys, sorry this is a lil late, stuff kept getting in the way.**

 **So the 12th is mine and Cass' Birthday, yes we share a birthday, only I'm a year older than her. This is why we call each other twins! That and we're so similar it's scary. So before anything else, Happy Birthday younger twin! XD**

 **Anyway, here it is, the long awaited chapter 4 XD**

* * *

If Natsu could use one word to name his mood, it would be irked. Had he a better grasp of the English vocabulary he was sure he could come up with one more colourful. But this was not the case, and he was perfectly fine with 'irked'.

Not only did he waste his time travelling all the way to stupid Crocus, for that stupid arrogant man calling himself the new King. He had to then ride Happy all the way back to blasted Hargeon, and unwillingly take a stupid boat to a stupid Island to slay a stupid dragon!

Oh, and save some princess or something? Not that he was too interested in that.

Hargeon was the main port town of Fiore. If you needed to go somewhere out of the country Hargeon was the place to be. Known for its fishing, most of the locals owned their own boats and had many stalls opened to attract the attention of the new arrivals.

Natsu liked this town. The people were always cheerful and friendly, and don't have much of a problem if you try to haggle. Not that Natsu was very good with that.

But that was before the new crappy 'King' had taken over. Now it was a place for pickpockets and untrustworthy vendors who would sooner chop your hand off than haggle anymore.

It had been a while since Natsu had to go to the port side of Hargeon. More than a few years in fact.

He had received a tip that a dragon had made an appearance in the port and decided to investigate.

Biggest. Waste. Of. Time. Ever!

Not only was there no trace of a dragon whatsoever, but the tip was referring to a man who called himself the Salamander. At that time Natsu was not aware that the name 'Salamander' was actually used by the public to describe himself, so the identity theft alluded him.

It was only after he found out that the same man was using the guilds name that he decided to teach him a lesson.

You could call Natsu all the names you wanted; 'demon', 'freak', 'pyromaniac', you name it. But try dragging down the name of his guild and you would be lucky to leave with one bone unbroken.

Not only did he beat the imposter black and blue, he discovered this guy was kidnapping and drugging women and selling them as slaves. And to top it off the guy was a wanted criminal with a bounty.

In a way it wasn't a total waste of time; he at least got money for food when he cashed in the bounty, then again had to subtract it from the fee he had to pay for damaging the port.

So he made sure that when he returned to the guild he punched the man who tipped him off in the face, and warned everyone there that if he got given a dead end lead again he would make them pay.

This was his way of justifying why he was so adamant to take on missions about dragons at the guild. He didn't want to get all fired up only to end up disappointed and with too much energy.

Now that he was back on the port side he had to find a bloody boat willing enough to take him to some unknown island, and for a reasonable price. If these people think they can swindle him just because he may puke on the boat, they are sorely mistaken.

But… before going anywhere near that floating death-trap called a boat, he needed his equipment repaired.

His sword was a special custom made device, one that only one man on the continent could repair.

A blacksmith with a penchant for fights and a diet high in iron.

One Black Steel Gajeel.

* * *

Natsu looked at the blacksmith's sign with apprehension.

Meeting with Gajeel could go two ways; you could either leave with large bruises and a very empty money pouch, or you could leave with multiple bruises and an only slightly empty money pouch.

And he wonders why his business isn't doing well? A mystery indeed…

Natsu and Gajeel had a somewhat complicated relationship, if you could even call it that. They sort of hated each other, but when times were tough they knew that they could rely on each other as well. They were neither friends nor enemies… perhaps allies? Maybe dialled down to acquaintances?

Natsu sighed in annoyance and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh well, might as well get this over with" he muttered in annoyance.

He tied Happy's reigns to a post, gave him a fishy smelling carrot, and then made his way to the front door.

He was just about the reach the handle when he heard a commotion from inside. Sensing movement, Natsu sidestepped away from the door just in time to avoid a man thrown right through the wood of the door.

The man screamed as he flew and landed directly on his face on the brick street.

The door fell off its hinges on the floor and a shadowed figure appeared in its way.

"Think ya can cheat me with fake gold coins do ya? I don't know what rock you slithered from you snake, but nobody tries to make a fool outta me and gets away with it!"

Out from the shadows came a tall bulking man around the same age as Natsu. His eyes were blood red, which only made his angry scowl ever more terrifying. His long black hair is slicked back and loose. His forearms, nose, ears, eyebrows and even his chin are pierced with studs, his right arm adorned with scars.

This, was Black Steel Gajeel.

"I see business is the same as usual" said Natsu with a cheeky grin.

Gajeel moved his gaze from the man he threw earlier to Natsu and smirked.

"Well, well, if it ain't Salamander. What terrible thing did I do to deserve a visit from your ugly mug?" he asked with crossed arms.

Natsu chuckled and raised his fist toward Gajeel, who did the same.

To a stranger it would seem as if they were about to punch each other in the face but…

It was just a fist bump.

"You're calling me ugly? You even own a mirror metal mouth?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"And get distracted from my work by how fine I look?" asked Gajeel with a matching grin.

The boys had a good laugh for a minute until they heard a loud groan from the side of the road. It was coming from the man Gajeel had thrown out, he was getting up from the ground while trying to hold his concussed head.

"You bastard Gajeel! I-I'll be sure to tell my boss about this! Y-You better watch your back!" yelled the man as he ran off with tears in his eyes.

"Tch, lousy scumbags. You know he tried to pass off smelted iron as gold pieces by painting em?! I mean, how idiotic can ya get!? I work with metal for a living!" yelled Gajeel in disbelief.

Natsu laughed loudly. Clearly that man had not done business with Gajeel before, nor heard rumours of his skill if he had tried to pull off a stunt as stupid as that.

"Well, every town needs a village idiot" said Natsu as he wiped a tear from his eye with a dying chuckle.

"I thought that was why we had you" said Gajeel with a smirk.

Natsu glared at Gajeel "Oh hilarious, don't quit your day job buddy, you ain't no court jester" said Natsu with an unimpressed look.

Gajeel chuckled and punched Natsu in the shoulder lightly.

"So seriously, waddya want. Last time ya came here you brought me two pieces of your sword" said Gajeel with an unimpressed scowl.

"You don't have to remind me, I still can't bend my arm like I used to from the beating ya gave me" muttered Natsu in annoyance as he unconsciously rubbed his right arm.

"And now you know better. At least that's what I'm hoping, so once again; waddya want?" asked Gajeel with crossed arms.

Natsu rubbed the back of his head nervously. He just wanted his flame sword tuned up, did he really have to go through the third degree before he even asked?

"Well ya see, I just took on a job and it's gonna take a while by the looks of it, so Etherious needs a quick tune-up. Think ya can handle it?" asked Natsu challengingly.

"Tch, don't act cute with me Salamander. Just get inside and hand me the sword, I still don't know why you picked such a lame name for it" said Gajeel as he walked past Natsu and back into his building.

"Oi! Etherious is a fearsome name, you're just jealous that I'm the genius that came up with it!" said Natsu with a proud look as he followed Gajeel inside.

"Yeah, a genius would be smart enough to know that a dragon wouldn't show up in a port" said Gajeel with an unimpressed look.

"Would ya let that go?! It was one time!" said Natsu in frustration.

Gajeel chuckled at Natsu's reaction and put his hand out.

"Just hand me the sword, you're in a hurry right?" asked Gajeel.

Natsu grumbled in irritation and handed his sword to Gajeel with a huff. Gajeel swiped the blade out of Natsu's hand and inspected it thoroughly.

"You use this thing recently?" asked Gajeel as he brought the blade to his workbench.

Natsu rubbed the back of his head "Well sorta, this idiot pissed me off and I used it to scare the shit outta him" he said with a smirk.

Gajeel sighed in annoyance and started tweaking the sword. Natsu was bored out of his mind and decided to snoop around for anything interesting in the blacksmith's shop.

"So what kinda job you doin' this time?" asked Gajeel distractedly.

"Let's just say I'm taking care of unfinished business" said Natsu as he picked up a shuriken that had some sort of freezing mechanism in it.

Gajeel looked at Natsu over his shoulder with a raised brow. He was well aware of what Natsu's specialty was, but he thought Natsu had already killed all the dragons. Did that mean there was still one left?

"Is the job far away?" asked Gajeel curiously.

Gajeel knew better than to pry for more details than this, when it comes to guild jobs you shouldn't divulge information unnecessarily unless it will help with the work in the end.

"Yeah, get this; I have to go all the way to bloody Galuna Island!" said Natsu in annoyance as he stumbled upon an odd pair of gloves and scrutinized them.

Gajeel stopped moving and stared at Natsu in shock. Galuna is known as a cursed island, it is said to be abandoned and a toxic wasteland. No man dares to even go near it, but that was not the part that shocked Gajeel the most.

"Ya mean you gotta take a… a boat?" asked Gajeel who suddenly became a little green.

Natsu was also a little green now "I don't have a choice, it's the only way to get there" he said reluctantly.

"Damn, glad I'm not in your shoes" said Gajeel as he turned back to the sword.

Natsu growled and decided to pocket the gloves he was looking at; they appeared to utilize flames somehow so Natsu figured that they might be useful on his job.

"Whatever man" said Natsu with a grumble. Suddenly he remembered something very amusing and he decided now was a great time to get some payback.

"By the way, I saw that little blue-haired girl today…" he started with a mischievous smirk.

A loud clang was heard as Gajeel had abruptly lost his concentration and dropped his tools on the floor. He tried to fake indifference but his eyes gave him away easily.

"Y-Yeah? Is that so?" he asked as he cleared his throat awkwardly.

His stutter also wasn't helping his case either.

Natsu was desperately trying to stifle his laughter at Gajeel's reaction. He had to keep Gajeel as distracted as possible, that way he could sneak out more tools for his mission and not have to pay for it.

"Oh yeah, she seemed to be in a very good mood this morning, she was practically glowing" said Natsu as he snuck some smoke bombs in his pocket.

"W-Why would I care about that?" asked Gajeel as he picked up his tools and pretended to be busy with Natsu's sword.

"Oh I'm not implying you would. It's just that seeing a maiden in love is a rare sight these days-"

 _CRASH_

"Son of a-!"

 _BANG_

"That sounded painful" said Natsu with a snigger.

Gajeel had somehow dropped a large hammer on his foot, then bumped his knee on his work table until finally tripping on a metal plate on the floor and falling flat on his back.

Natsu took this opportunity to pack in some flaming lacrima bombs in his backpack.

After some fumbling Gajeel finally managed to get back on his feet and glared at Natsu like he wanted to strangle him.

Natsu grinned mischievously and Gajeel felt his eye twitch in anger.

"And just how the hell do you know what a 'maiden in love' looks like?" said Gajeel with a deadly glare.

Natsu blinked and gave Gajeel his most innocent look he could muster.

"Well she said 'I am so in love right now I can't stand it!', so I figured that was a pretty big hint" he said with nonchalance.

Gajeel was shocked to his core, he wasn't sure how to feel right now, and he needed more information!

"Is that all she said?! Did she mention anything else?!" asked Gajeel frantically.

Natsu nodded his head in confirmation.

"Oh yeah, her exact words were; 'I have never been so happy, I am so in love with-'"

"Who?! In love with who?!"

"'-This book! It's the best thing I've ever read!' or so she claims" said Natsu as he stifled his laughter with his hands as he watched Gajeel's reaction.

Gajeel was not by any means a murderous person, in fact if you get to know him you'd see that he's actually a nice guy way deep down. But it's at times like these when Gajeel wants to throw his kindness away and destroy those around him; his first victim, a cherry-haired idiot who is currently suicidal.

Natsu knew he was gonna be in deep shit after this, but he was not anticipating the sheer intensity of Gajeel's glare. If looks could kill Natsu would have died five times over by now.

"Grab your sword and get the hell out before I use it on you" said Gajeel threateningly.

"Sheesh, someone can't take a joke" said Natsu with a smirk as he grabbed his sword and put it back in its sheath.

"I hope you burn yourself" said Gajeel in annoyance.

"Not likely! See ya lug nuts!" said Natsu as he walked out the door with a mock salute.

Gajeel just shook his head in annoyance and scratched the back of his neck.

Once he was sure Natsu had gone with his horse he locked his front door and pulled out a small lacrima device from his pocket.

"Yo, this is Iron Dragon, ya there Rain Woman?"

"… _bzzt…_ Ju-Rain Woman is here Iron Dragon _…bzzt…"_ said a dainty feminine voice from the lacrima.

"Just had an interesting conversation with Salamander, looks like he's going ta Galuna Island to slay a dragon".

"… _bzzt…_ Oh my, so the She-devil's Intel was correct then _…bzzt…_?" said the voice with concern.

"Looks that way, at least now we know where he's headed. Galuna ain't exactly a family vacation spot, my question is why would the Underworld king want to slay a dragon there in the first place?" asked Gajeel curiously.

"… _bzzt…_ Ju-I can't say for sure. There is a lot about Galuna that we do not know. Juv-I will do some research in the archives and see what can be found _…bzzt…"_ said the voice seriously.

"Ya know you should be more careful with your habit of talking in third person. It could cause ya some problems later" warned Gajeel.

"… _bzzt…_ Yes I know, J-I am trying to work on it. But back to business, I'll contact you as soon as we find anything relevant _…bzzt…_ " said the voice determinately.

"Roger, I'll keep in touch, Iron Dragon signing out" said Gajeel as he rubbed his neck in irritation.

"… _bzzt…_ Roger, Rain Woman out _…bzzt…_ " said the voice as the lacrima shut off.

Gajeel sighed in annoyance, he was used to this whole double life thing; he was good at it so he never complained. But the fact that he had been doing it for so long was starting to irritate him. He longed for the days when he no longer had to hide who he was from the rest of the world. And once they succeed with their overall mission, maybe he could finally tell her how he felt and they could be together… that is if she reciprocated his feelings.

Natsu just had to play on his insecurities, he should have punched him for good measure…

Now that he thought about it…

"Hey! That ass stole my stuff!"

* * *

"No way! Not for a million Jewel!"

"Wha-?"

"That island is cursed! Only a fool would try to go there!"

"Come on mister, it's not like I wanna take a boat but it's the only way to get there!" said Natsu desperately.

"Forget it! Unless you got a death wish I'd stay the hell away" said the sailor as he pulled out supplies from his fishing boat.

Natsu blinked in shock, he knew that sailors were superstitious but this was just ridiculous. The way this was going he may have to swim to the island. As much as he hated taking transportation there was no way he could actually get to the Island by swimming, it was too far and there are sea monsters to worry about. He wouldn't have the energy to fight the dragon if he swam.

"Man, it's in situations like these when I wish that Happy could fly"

* * *

 **JBB: Finally done! And just before our birthday! Happy Birthday twin, and welcome to the land of adults! Mwahaha!**

 **RC12: No need to remind me Grandma 3P Thanks for the shout out and awesome chapter. Glad to share a special day with you my friend (VwV)**

 **Thanks everyone for reading. Give us a shout out in a review to tell us your thoughts and have a lovely day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**So guess who's back from a long annoying break? Meeeee, Rockingcass12 which you are all allowed to be angry at.**

 **Matters not anymore since I'm providing the longest chapter I've ever written in my life, to make up for my absence. But just because we're evil we're splitting the long update into two updates. We'll post the second one in a few days or sooner depending on the response ;)**

 **Enjoy~!**

* * *

It had dawned upon Natsu that he would have to give up his quest and live in shame, all because he couldn't take one measly boat ride to Galuna Island. It was shameful indeed since he was sort of broke and the payment for the job he had taken was handsome enough to keep him going for the entire year. He even thought that after he had finished the quest he could negotiate for more due to his… _immaculate_ job performance.

He hadn't given up for several hours though at the docks. He even tried to make a deal with some shady pirates he _casually_ met by a tavern.

Natsu was near the point of setting some boats alight with his sword Etherious, he was so frustrated.

It was dusk, so he decided to walk up and down the pier one last time since some fisherman would only return home at this point and Natsu figured he could try his luck with those lots.

Slumping down the dock he saw a small row boat for two, tied to the dock. He would have remembered it if he had seen it before. He looked around to search for the owner but groaned when he found no one in sight.

His will had diminished and he dropped to the floor with a harsh thump.

"Oh Kid, why so gloomy?"

Natsu's head shot up to the row boat and saw a man clearly perched on one of the seats.

"I-uh… where you here this whole time?" the pinkette asked cautiously.

The man looked at Natsu as if he was crazy "Of course, ya blind or something?"

Natsu's brain was about to combust but still focused on one thing "No, but I might be going crazy… Old man, I need ride."

"Oi I ain't old… where do you need to go?" the man asked cautiously.

Natsu cringed "Galuna Island"

Natsu shut his eyes waiting for the rejection but instead the man stayed silent.

"Hmmm… what ye need to go there fer? The place is cursed ya know"

"A job request, and right now I'm considering swimming."

The man chuckled slightly "Well no need fer that son. Why don't I take ya?" He gestured to his small boat.

Natsu's eyes went wide with disbelief "Seriously? Is there some sorta catch?"

The man just laughed again "A slight catch, but nothing to get suspicious about. Just want to add another job to your quest, without charge of course." The fisherman smiled slyly.

"My first priority is my current job." Natsu replied hastily.

"Oh no, don't get me wrong, your quest is first. I'm just askin' that you complete mine after."

After a long pause Natsu thought it over, although the fisherman knew the answer already.

"What you need me to do?"

"I need ya to kill a Demon."

* * *

Natsu was regretting his decision quicker than the blink of an eye. Not the decision to accept two jobs, no… he was regretting that he hadn't opted to swim in the first place.

He was hunched over the side of the small boat ready to throw up his dinner. At least it was night and the sky was dark so the fisherman couldn't see his embarrassing position.

What an odd man in any case. Natsu was grateful he was willing to take him to the island, on request though, still Natsu was grateful he could finally start his job.

The sea was so calm and serene, that Natsu almost felt better from his motion sickness, it was so still; as if the boat wasn't moving at all. Natsu leaned up to check if it was really true that they were at sea.

"There's a strange myth about the shores of Galuna. That in order to survive the island, ya need to be in great physical health, the few survivors of the island say that once they come within a kilometre of the island you get over most of yer illnesses."

Natsu blinked in astonishment "If that's true, then why are people so afraid of the island? I would think people would be flocking here."

The fisherman chuckled "Boy, even though ya don't get sick 'ere. It's what's on the island you should worry about."

Natsu stayed quite, although he thought of what to ask the fisherman about the job he gave him, he was reluctant for there was a strange eeriness emitting from him.

"Yer probably wondering about the job I gave ya" the fisherman smirked at the younger lad.

Mind reader?!

"Uh yeah… I kinda want to know what I'm getting myself into." Natsu raised a brow.

The fisherman looked toward the island's shore as they were slowly coming closer "Well, the demon's name is Deliora. He was trapped about a month ago by a lad at the request of the tribe folk. But the tribe is still terribly cursed by the monster. And to add to the misfortunes, the lad they hired went missing. I'm just askin' ya to finish the job before the trap wears off."

Natsu nodded attentively as he thought that it wouldn't be that hard of a job since half of it was already done.

Mist was starting to surround them and getting thicker to the point where Natsu couldn't see the shore anymore. Panicking slightly Natsu turned to look at the fisherman… but he wasn't there anymore.

"Son of a… Oi! Where did you go?!" Natsu jumped up in a panic.

The boat began to rock more rapidly than its calm state before, if not for the creepy island, Natsu would be in trouble because of his motion sickness.

The pinkette lost his balance and thudded harshly as buckets of water followed falling right on top him, almost drowning him in the boat alone. The taste of sea salt was burning in his lungs and his eyes stung harshly that he couldn't bear opening them.

The boat rocked harshly back and forth, so that it capsized into the ocean washing, Natsu in and out of the waves. The force of the ocean pushed him deeper and deeper to the bottom, suffocating him while he was trying to surface for air. Natsu then tried to move with the force of the waves by swimming with the current to where he thought the shore was.

Before he knew it, he passed out.

…

" _Is someone here?" a young voice called out._

 _A young boy was hopelessly lost in the middle of nowhere, memory wiped from his very being. And he was scared… no petrified._

" _Can someone please answer…? I'm afraid. Hello?" he called out into a forest he was wondering in._

 _The sun was about to set and the little boys fear escalated, hopelessly trying to call out louder and louder. It was getting chillier and the young boy realised that when his flesh developed goose bumps from the chilling air that whipped through the trees. His clothes were falling off him as they were in rags and torn to bits as it was._

 _He yelled one more time before his voice cracked and his eyes were filled with hot tears. He gaged on his own tears and stopped his feeble attempts at finding someone, with his face glued to the floor he managed to find a tree that was somewhat hollow to stay in till the morning._

 _Still sniffing he hardly noticed the loud sound of wings flapping, a large creature descending from the sky and landing heavily on the earth._

 _The beasts landing shook the earth and startled the already frightened boy, making him curl further into himself in the cramped space. The young boy tried to peak out from his hiding place to see with his own eyes what kind of creature had made such a loud noise._

 _The boy's tears were out of control, pouring down his face like a waterfall after a storm out of fear of catching a glimpse of the beast._

 _It was a Dragon_

" _Stop your dreadful groaning human." The mighty beast said._

 _The boy's heart went to his throat in fright, feeling as if he was being choked. He was stunned that the beast spoke, it he hadn't seen it with his own eyes he would never believe it._

 _The young child tried to stifle his tears in fear of what might happen if he didn't listen to the beast. But the Dragon started walking towards his hiding place and the boy panicked. He swiftly grabbed whatever was in front of him to try and somehow defend himself._

 _The winged creature faced the open tree, hunching to see the frightened child, as he suspected the child was cowering in fear… although he didn't expect him to be holding something to defend himself._

 _The Dragon had lived many years and has faced many knights, nobles, other drakes. In fact they were haughty beings that only wanted dominance or a prize and deserved to lose._

 _But looking at the youngster in front of him, he initially saw fear, but looking closer he could see the lad was determined to survive and he willing to fight with all he had._

 _The Dragon smirked internally "Why are you afraid of me, boy?"_

 _Said boy lowered his weapon; a small tree branch, slightly, his body still quaking "You're… you're big and you could eat me."_

 _The Dragon leaned up slightly looking towards the sky "That's true… I could, but you wouldn't make a good meal. Yer crying so much yer over salted."_

 _The boy pouted angrily "So it's true, you were going to eat me!"_

 _The Dragon looked down again to see the youngsters face which stopped crying and now had an angry pout. The Beast showed his bare teeth, not to intimidate but to smile largely._

" _I never said I was gonna eat ya. I just said you cry too much… besides I don't eat humans, they taste disgusting."_

 _The boy got more frustrated at hearing this "What?! So then you wanna kill me?! That's sick and I… just want to go home…"_

 _The sad tone of the boy affected the dragon also "I'm not going to kill you either… where's your home boy? Maybe I could take you back." He said motioning to his outstretched wings with his head._

 _The lad sniffed and looked up to the dragon with less distaste "I don't know… I don't know where I come from."_

 _The Dragon hummed at the young lad "Well, it's not like I can leave you alone so…"_

 _The Red Dragon laid down moving his wings to the side giving access for someone to climb on "… I guess you'll just have to come with me." He tried to sound displeased._

 _The boy's face was mixed with shock and excitement "You… you're serious?"_

" _I always wanted a hatchling so why not?"_

….

Natsu woke up in disarray against the grimy shoreline, twitching from the shock of being spat back on land by the ocean and covered in tangled up seaweed.

The smell of salt was disgustingly strong, even in his half aware state his nose cringed due to his heightened smell and his skin was prickled with sharp shards of sand.

He was reluctant to get up but the persistent waves of the shore kept getting closer and eventually washed onto his face along with the morning sun blaring onto him.

In a hasty manner he shot up from the ground, coughing for air and rubbed his stinging eyes from the salty water. Once composed he finally rubbed his pounding head from either the nostalgic dream or from almost dying out in sea being sloshed around back and forth.

Is that what they call seeing your life flash before your eyes?

Either way his mind was muddled and sore, in fact even thinking about how he had survived made his head pound harder.

Damn Fisherman's fault…

'Where did he go?' he wondered

He didn't really want to think about it, the sooner he gets his gear and gets the job done the better…

His gear!

Natsu patted himself for his sword and his bag but found nothing at all. He never knew he could, but he jumped so high and frantically searched for his belongings.

He stomped and dug through the sand, doing anything he possibly could to find his stuff and then… got hit with a coconut at the back of his head.

"OI WHO-" he turned around to yell but saw his gear neatly placed on the sand with no one in sight

All that was behind him was his gear neatly placed on the sand, nothing impaired in the least, not even damp. It just made the hunter confused and disarrayed, not to mention severely creeped out.

"This place is freakier than I thought…" he said aloud.

That being said the grin on his face gave off a different emotion than a few moments ago. It was toothy and wicked in its own way, which only meant one thing – He wanted to explore.

He put his gear into their allocated places and had a good look at the island from the shoreline. Even though he wanted to explore, he needed to first have an idea of what direction he could find the dragon's nest, then he could explore on the way.

Even though he was childish, he still wanted to get the job done and to finish his secondary assignment.

As he looked to the rest of the island from the shoreline he noticed how the island curved like a crescent moon and that the landscape was rough. There were two very noticeable parts of the landscape; that was a temple of worship that was well disguised but only the tip of the building was left bare.

The cherry headed hunter decided that was definitely a suitable place for a dragons nest. Maybe small wyverns could take refuge there if they really needed to, but never a dragon.

Dragons don't live amongst vegetation, and very seldom do they live enclosed area like a building. They prefer the solitude of a desolate place, either in a cave or very tainted ruins.

The temple should be well persevered with the height of it still durable, so Natsu stroke that off his list.

The dragon would most probably be high up, were they prefer higher altitude so they can take off as they pleased. Also it must be somewhere with no plant life, so perhaps close to the edge of the island?

And if this dragon was claimed to be the last one, who is rumoured to be named Acnologia, and has many specs on him like a desolate destructive type, there is a good chance the beast would prefer to be near magma or lava due to his nature.

That's tough to pinpoint since there is no visible volcano.

Natsu scratched his head and sat down on the sand facing the sea to think before running off on a so-called cursed island.

Piecing all his knowledge together he knew the beast would be somewhere high, devoid of life, preferably hot or more specifically near magma, and then also may be nesting near ruins. He also had to take into account that the maiden he's saving is in a tower.

He hadn't spotted a tower, but maybe it was because the island was large that he couldn't see one?

He looked toward the ocean again and noticed small islands forming at the tip of the crescent point of the island. For a new island to form, lava must meet water. He then began to squint to observe more.

He saw that the point was barren of vegetation, as well as the position being high enough for the beasts liking, although Natsu didn't see any debris or buildings on top or the side where the waves crashed against… or maybe something else?

His mind was set to head in that direction, call it intuition or instinct but it was calling to him.

And once his mind is set there's no turning back.

He stretched and clicked his joints before leaving the shoreline, he noticed that he couldn't walk to the crescent tip along a shoreline because there was no more shoreline, but instead steep mountains leading into the ocean. So he would only be able to get there by going through the forest.

He smiled ferociously knowing now there was nothing stopping his inner child from exploring on the way there. He looked once more to the sky where the sun's position showed it was still early morning, and he would like to find the nest before the sun sets since Dragons are mostly nocturnal. On the other hand he wouldn't mind a challenge; slaying the beast in his prime, but that would go against his teachings.

That what he was doing wasn't for pleasure but out respect for his father.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon and the blonde maiden was restless and unsettled. She paced up and down her room constantly looking out the window. She bit her nails out of nervousness and twirled her hair out of impatience.

She looked outside the tower once more only to see her captor was not resting as he usually did. It was interfering with her plan and throwing her off tremendously, for she had calculated and strategized this for many days, months, years in fact.

The beast normally slept during the day, but for some reason today he seemed more tenacious and restless. The plan would certainly have to change due to the irritable dragons sleeping patterns or… she would have to die trying to escape- Which she was more than prepared to do.

The blonde princess couldn't remember when she started to think like that. Perhaps after countless knights travelled to the island in a feeble attempt to rescue her only to then die from some weird omen from the island or becoming a snack of the beast guarding her.

The foul creature gave her his name once but she refused to ever utter it. She hated it with such a burning passion that just thinking of his name made bile rise up her throat.

'Acnologia'

She had no memory of him in her past, not that she remembered much in general except some faces and a few vague memories. She's almost certain the lack of her memories was because of him.

All she knew was that he was responsible for her being trapped here and she wanted to leave immediately.

Over the years, during the day time, she had collected what she could from the remains of those who had come for her, she had to do it swiftly and quickly since Acnologia's heighted senses always woke him up within 5 minutes or so. The beast would wake and then roughly push his face up against her tower window to check if she was still there. She knew his pattern thus her trip to collect would only last less than four minutes and then quickly going to her chamber to pretend to sleep.

So now today was the day she'd break free, being prepared to fight the beast but though she'd hoped to have a head start while he slept.

He wasn't giving her a chance though… maybe he knew she was trying to leave? But how?

Deep in thought she tried to deduct why he was acting up like he was, and with her new knowledge she calculated a new escape plan

' _The last time he acted up like this was… when someone was coming to rescue me…'_

Her head snapped to the window to look outside, hoping to see something. Although she couldn't see anything right now the uneasy beast below was a clear sign of the inevitable.

A new plan easily mended itself from the remains of the previous one. She whipped her head creating golden waves that spiralled around her to look in her closet, biting her bottom lip.

She briskly walked to the wardrobe and opened it to view a suit of armour made of different pieces of material and metal but it was completed. She had many a chance to get a full body of amour but pieces were either destroyed or they didn't fit hence her scavenging pieces here and there.

It wasn't like her to be doing this, but it was a perfect chance to escape. What other time would Acnologia be distracted? It was slightly conceited but she was planning on fighting, so it's not like she's letting the knight become a meal. No not at all… although that being said her nerves where telling her to flee instead of fight. It goes against every natural instinct so it will just have to be fought against.

The beast growled loudly outside and stormed off going deeper into the ruins, most likely hiding in wait or taunting its prey to find him first. That meant Lucy didn't have much time left.

She dashed to her bed to grab her bow and arrows and an extra item she scavenged on her last dash and run; a sword.

She hadn't had a lot of experience in dealing with weaponry so she couldn't tell if it was a great sword or not, but it was beautiful.

It was a two handed sword, nearly half of the weight of the blonde. It had a white blade which was unusual to Lucy, when she had found it and brought it back it took days to get the blood stains off the polished white blade, especially in between the carvings on the blade. She assumed it was the country's crest carved into the blade, but then again she found it unusual that the other images found on it was of the moon and stars surrounding it and then at the bottom there was a language she didn't know but it seemed wistful and enchanting. The handle of the sword was the centre of the beauty, the cross guard and grip was gold and both had different styles of engraftment and swirled in patterns of perfection.

Lucy really didn't want to use it though… seeing as it was beautiful and that she struggled pulling it around. She had practiced using both her weapons whilst Acnologia slept, but she hadn't practiced much with the sword.

It didn't matter right now since her body moved on its own. Dropping her gown to the floor her body flinched at the breeze coming through her window, she slid her fingers up and down her silky arms in an attempt to stop her flesh from getting goose bumps. She retrieved both a linen shirt and underpants which she had to make herself from the materials she had in her wardrobe, she had to be wise on her limits on sowing equipment that was already in the wooden closet. She then proceeded to put on her armour piece by piece but she briefly stopped for a moment feeling something in the air change… feeling something close.

Her mind wandered off while she put on the pieces, she wondered if the knight this time stood a chance or perhaps was like the rest she witnessed getting killed- egotistical, showy… not honourable in the least.

It had never been something she'd enjoyed watching, especially when she was younger, the first time she witnessed it left her mentally scarred for many months. Now it was simply an observation of what not to do in battle against Acnologia.

Her hands were shaking now and a cold sweat ran down her face and fell onto the floor, her nerves were near collapsing and her big brown eyes turned darker as the sky was dimming.

Once she was fully dressed the metal from her armour clanked with every movement made. With one last adjustment she pulled her long blonde hair into a tress, picked up her helmet and looked into a vertical mirror hanging in her chambers.

She sighed deeply, dreaming about the sweet feeling of freedom and that it was still a far way ahead.

For a knights battle is worth more than she expected.

* * *

 **We'll that's a wrap for now, will be back soon with the second half.**

 **Remember that if we get good response we'll update earlier and P.S. there might be some Nalu for you guys in the next chapter.**

 ***Evil laughs* till then, ciao!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Rockingcass12 back again! Twice in a row nonetheless… So we didn't post in a few days mwahaha but yikes time got away from us. Thanks to everyone, we made over 100 followers! Yeeeep! Like you guys are awesome!**

 **And an extra thanks to the few who reviewed, NaLuFTfanatic, arcadea333, Guest, Jaxjax and FlameDragonHime. You five made our day and we dedicate the chapter to you guys!**

 **So here's the second half we promised! Enjoy**

* * *

Natsu was feeling a bit pouty.

He had done what he wanted before doing his job which was exploring the Galuna jungles while travelling to his destination. Why was he pouty?

Well the young Hunter had found a lake and his stomach told him to fish; which he did. Little did he know that the fish were twice his size and going to eat Natsu for dinner.

Worst lunch, ever.

The task of trying to stay alive in that interval took longer than he thought and now it was dusk and nearing into night. A time he didn't want to be around.

The closer he came to where he set out to walk he felt something unusual, almost a disturbance in the air but he shrugged it off since it was a sign he was familiar with before going into battle.

He kept trotting up the hill until his vision faltered. He blinked multiple times at the scene in front of him, which used to be a barren island but is now not what it appeared.

Now what he saw were remains of a castle in ruin and only a single tower stood firm in the distance. Not only that, but the tip of the island was cut off from the rest and a very rickety bridge appeared to be the only thing connecting the desolate estate and the stable island together.

It was hot in the area too, even being a great distance from the bridge Natsu was already feeling an immense heat which was most likely lava under the bridge.

"A magical barrier huh? Anyone outside of it can't see all of this…" he thought out loud.

He split a snarky smile on his lips _'So… it ain't a normal Dragon. This'll be a tricky one._ ' He thought.

He continued to walk further towards the bridge that was practically in shambles but still held on strongly. He stared at the fallen utopia in front of him and wondered what his strategy should be.

He walked closer to the bridge and collected the dirt near the edge where it was the grimiest and more ashen. He rubbed the dirt all over himself including his clothes and equipment until he noticed how dark his hands were becoming. One thing was for sure; it wouldn't take even a minute for the dragon to find him with his previous scent.

His blue sleeveless shirt that had the printing of a dragon on was now smudged and plastered in dirt, but it would be a little hard to get his scent off since the leather straps around his chest and torso were hard to move around since they tightly fitted on him.

Unfortunately his pants had to suffer since they were white, I mean they were badly dirtied to begin with, but now there was no chance of them ever returning back to their original colour. Luckily Natsu didn't even have to worry about his boots since they were already plastered with grime and dirt.

He reached for his sack laid down next to his feet and pulled out a pair of leather fingerless gloves which had a different material on it on the palm side. afterwards he grabbed some throwing knifes and place them in the pouches already on his belt, brought out a bottle of bad mead and snuggly secured it on one of the straps on his back for some reason…

Now all that remained in the sack was a couple of explosives and a chain, Natsu then threw the sack over his back and pulled the string over his head so it could sit nicely and not rattle too much.

With a final huff he looked at the sun as the last bit of rays disappeared beyond the horizon.

It's not going to be an easy night, especially now that he has to face the beast in its prime which he would have preferred to avoid in the first place.

All he could do was shrug and continue. He took one look at the bridge and scoffed as if it wasn't even a challenge to him.

One foot after another the wood creaked in protest but he carried on step by step. Once or twice the wood gave way but he was quick to avoid going through the broken boards by holding himself on the ropes railing. He looked below where the lava lay and was making him reminisce of his home many years ago.

He finally crossed over and felt the tension in the air, usually it was instinct telling him this fact and that the dragon is in waiting and his instinct is always right.

Dragons are hoarders of their treasure so all Natsu had to do was to guess where the beast would keep his riches. So the Princess is included in that category right?

The last bit of light shone against the tower creating soft rays shining against his face as well as reflections of a bright green colour.

Curious, he searched where the green light was coming from. Hiding in a distant corner was a thick, medium sized Lacrima. It wasn't unusual to find one on an island such as this, since demons liked to feast on them if they're starving for power, but what use would it be here? As far as he knew, no dragon ate Lacrima since they never lacked power.

Keeping a mental note on the strange item he walked ever so slowly towards the tower, keeping his hand near his sheathed sword. He stalked at the pace the sun was setting until he noticed the tower was connected to some debris that was still more or less intact. It was part of the castle that laid here before, although it was missing the one side that is now the entrance for the dragons nest.

The sun had finally disappeared and twilight set in.

The Dragon was ready to play.

The Hunter smirked when he heard the beast growl inside and he had internally pat himself on the back for his accuracy.

But Natsu couldn't lie that he was impressed with the beasts hearing since he made a huge effort to cover his sent so as not to be discovered so quickly. On the other hand, Natsu remembered that this wasn't any ordinary dragon.

The hissing of the beast became louder; his feet were starting to move at the sound of his claws scraping against the ground.

Natsu unsheathed his sword immediately and flipped a switch on the side igniting the sword and blazing it alight.

He couldn't see the beast but it was more than likely that the beast could see him.

The growling stopped and not a sound was made…

He was going to pounce.

Next thing Natsu saw were grotesque white, glowing eyes from the shadows and then heard a powerful intimidating roar before the beast leaped toward him. The Hunter only had the option to temporarily retreat by running back before the beast could crush him. Natsu could only tell when Acnologia landed if the earth shook.

Once the beast landed he took a proper look at the beast; hideous to the eye and frightening to the faint hearted.

He was as black as night, Natsu could say, if it weren't for the beasts blue markings on his body he'd have more difficultly fighting the beast at night. Thankfully his blue markings were everywhere from his wings to his face and even outlining his jagged body shape. His face was beak-like and cluttered with deadly teeth that reeked of death and decay. Like all dragons, he was no exception to having a large frame but to be fair, Natsu's size only took up half his leg length. If memory served right he would be the second biggest dragon he ever fought against.

His eyes were the nastiest part of him- Beady, lifeless, and dangerous. Natsu didn't care though, as he did with the others, and just returned the foul beasts' death glare with one of his own.

With a smirk he raised his voice "So, do ya speak mongrel?"

Normally no, the disease that swept the country ten years ago made all dragons mad and blood thirsty, liberating them of their intelligence to speak. Although a few which Natsu encountered could speak, but they were naturally blood thirsty, unaffected of the disease that most of their kin caught.

Acnologia growled in response, clenching his teeth while baring them. That was a clear sign to Natsu that he could speak but refused to.

' _Interesting.'_ He thought smirking

Acnologia's patience snapped and he swiped his claw at the hunter in attempt to slice the pinkette in half. Natsu countered the beast by blocking his claw with his flaming sword and singing the beast in the process.

With a hiss the beast withdrew his claw and went head first to masticate the hunter. The pinkette ducked and rolled under the beast, bringing his blade to his underbelly. The dragon roared in discomfort and Natsu made his way at the back of the beast. He noticed that the damage underneath was nothing fatal which meant at this rate he won't get the job done before getting killed himself.

It was ruled out that this dragon doesn't a soft underbelly, if it were so easy…

Natsu had to go to the basics again- Eliminate strengths.

The Wings were the first that came to mind, if the beast took flight at any time it'd be nearly impossible to kill him. Following that were the eyes which were probably better than any twenty/twenty a human would have, if he didn't render the beast blind he can kiss his guarantee of victory good-bye. The tail was going to be a problem, it is the most annoying factor since dragons use them for swatting, but getting rid of a tail is too much work thus should be observed during battle. And the hearing; which can give away his position if he decided to hide out and attack, can be dealt with by the little friends he placed around the area before the sun set. Finally… whatever he spits out his mouth, which, no matter what way you look at it will be bad, is sure to have a flaw.

First he wanted to deal with the wings. No easy task thanks to the size difference but given the location Natsu had plenty an opportunity.

Without thinking twice about it Natsu ran to whatever was still intact and climbable, the dragon swung his body around destroying what he could with his tail and charged towards the hunter.

The dragon was quick no doubt since he used his wings to practically glide towards Natsu. The beast skid across the ground and swiped him with his tail that unfortunately nicked the pinkette on the side. He flew into one of the remaining walls which shattered on contact.

He climbed out without any hesitation or concern of the pain he was in but brought his thumb up to his bleeding cheek and smirked.

"Is that all you got ya bastard?" he taunted

Acnologia opened his mouth slowly and showed a dim light appearing inside which grew brighter. Natsu's eyes widened and he ran for cover. A burst of blue left the dragons mouth; creating a ray of some sort, only to take up a chunk of the land where the hunter was standing.

Natsu held his ground where he took cover, grinding his boots in the ground and sheathing his sword. He then leaped up and ran onto the drake's tail. Holding on for dear life as the beast didn't hesitate to shake him off, Natsu tapped his feet together to make a knife on each boot shoot out from the tip.

His dug his foot into the beast, making sure he could climb up without being thrown off. Although the beast was highly irritated and decided to sprout his wings and take flight.

Natsu was on Acnologia's back holding onto the beast's scales and grinding his boot-knife further into its skin. He couldn't let Acnologia get to an altitude he can't handle so he continued to climb till he was near one of the wings.

He unsheathed his sword and set it alight, and tapped his feet again to make the knives retract. With a silent prayer and some silent counting Natsu leapt to Acnologia's feathery looking wing and sliced through a good portion of it as if it were butter. The hunter quickly grabbed onto what he didn't destroy and felt gravity start to work. Dragons don't usually feel pain in their wings and Acnologia was the same, although just like the rest he was angry that his wing was butchered; by a human no less.

They didn't fall straight down to the ground, but simply glided with the help of the other wing still intact. Although when Acnologia did land Natsu fell face first on the ground with the Dragon's mighty claw on top of him and crushing the hunter under it.

Natsu listened to the ugly beast's breathing that was now rigid and getting closer to his skin. It sent a cold chill down his spine, one he hadn't felt in a long time, and he liked it…

The beast inched forward closer to Natsu's face "Imprudent human! Did you really think you'd kill me?" Acnologia hissed, speaking for the first time to the hunter.

Natsu was smiling though, bearing his sharp teeth in a wide grin "Talking now? Been waiting to hear yer disgusting voice, Acnologia." The pinkette mocked.

Acnologia hissed again bringing his face closer to Natsu's in an attempt to intimidate the human "I don't speak to trash, but I'll make the exception for you since you actually did some damage" the black drake referred to his wing.

Natsu smirked "You make this sound like this is the end of our session."

Under Acnologia's grasp Natsu's fingers were getting closer to what he needed to reach but Acnologia wasn't biting at his distraction. It was getting too hot for Natsu to handle this time but he was so close to wiggling his way out like he naturally could do.

"No Hunter, it's the beginning of my meal!" The dragon roared.

Natsu panicked, his hand was trying to reach for one of his hand bombs and Acnologia's mouth had already charged for his head. The pinkette flinched but a deafening roar echoed though his ears that suddenly came from Acnologia.

The drake's claw retracted off Natsu and the pinkette looked at the cause of the sudden retraction. His dark orbs noticed that an arrow penetrated the beast's eye and was nothing short of a perfect shot.

He jumped to his feet and looked in the direction where the arrow came from. He became annoyed instantly as he saw another knight holding a bow standing on the steps of the crumbled castle, a very poorly suited knight he might add. It didn't annoy him that he received the help, no, he was angry at the fact that this knight might be here for the same reason Natsu was; and that was to rescue the princess. And more important than anything, he wanted, needed in fact, to kill Acnologia as tribute to his father's wish.

Natsu growled at the unnamed knight and voiced his displeasure "Oi! This is my kill noob, swim back to whatever stinkhole ya came from! "

The Knight just stared at him and ignored him completely as he did so charging to the top of the staircase and pushing an unstable large wall on top of Acnologia trapping him temporarily. It was smart of him, the beast is already distracted by trying to pull the arrow out his eye-socket and now will have to struggle to get out from the debris and a well known fact that Natsu is aware of; is that Dragons are terrible at multitasking.

Natsu yelled again "Are ya deaf? You ain't stealing my job so get outta here!"

The knight descended down the staircase and his hands grabbed onto the sides of his helmet slowly pulling it off.

Gold was the best colour he could describe as the first thing he saw, the second thought he had was mostly cusses.

She was beautiful though, and she was the last person Natsu would have expected to be under that helmet. Before leaving for his job he asked about the appearance of the trapped princess of the tower. They said she was beautiful so that was strike one, second was that she had golden coloured hair which makes strike two. And thirdly was that she was very much trapped in a tower, yet she was out here, fighting… in a suit of armour.

"I don't really care much about your job dear sir, but I'd like to get out of this place alive. So will you accept my help or not?" she finally spoke, with a voice that could melt ice.

Natsu was taken aback by her kindness despite his brashness towards her and how his head scolded him not for her to take over.

But her voice was not only heard by Natsu, Acnologia heard it loud and clear and it made him furious! The drake thrashed the arrow out his eye pulling his eye with it and raced toward the golden haired maiden.

Natsu's eyes widened and he immediately took action by taking off to protect the princess. While running to her with great speed he grabbed the mead on him and took a mouthful without swallowing it. He made it in front of her before the drake and stood in a battle ready stance, rubbing his gloved hands together vigorously.

Lucy had been surprised at the boys speed, as well as the fact that he had survived this long with Acnologia. The previous knights didn't even last five minutes with him, yet this strange young man had the dragon dancing in circles… well, until she intervened that is.

He seemed to know a lot about Acnologia's body type, perhaps he had been in situations like this before… she doesn't know. She didn't know his fighting style nor of his equipment, which definitely surprised her for he started to do something odd right before her.

His hands that were gloved and were vigorously rubbing together caught alight in flames. She didn't pay attention to the dragon making his way towards them but was entranced by the pink haired knight. He thus commenced to clasp his hands together creating an 'O' and with his mead filled mouth he brought it to his hands.

With a large blow he created a gush of fire sprouting forward towards Acnologia, startling the beast. Natsu didn't stop there though, he spat fire to block the beast's pathway and the flames were brilliant, they reached so high that Acnologia couldn't go over them, especially now that Natsu got rid of his one wing.

Once Natsu stopped he harshly pulled off his gloves and examined his hands that had been scorched slightly. He hissed at the pain which made Lucy concerned albeit still amazed at what she just saw moments ago. Her brown orbs glanced at his hands and without a second thought her hand tried to reach out for one of his.

He didn't let her as he took hold of her arm itching closer to his hand. The sudden contact startled her and made her look at his face which was blank. He shook his head at her, telling her not to worry about him and he pulled her off somewhere so they could hide temporarily. She obliged as he yanked her off which was the best option for now since the fire wasn't going to hold Acnologia off for long.

He found a wall that they could hide behind for now and they ducked so their heads wouldn't be seen. Once crouched down, Natsu was very close to the princess and his hand was still on her arm, tingling from the touch of her skin or perhaps his skin hardening from it being burned from the gloves he hijacked from Gajeel. Either way his throat wasn't supposed to be clenching the way it was now, and that had nothing to do with the gloves.

He shook off his current thoughts and looked to the blonde maiden "Are you Princess Lucy?" he asked lowly.

Her heart thumped at the sound of his voice and stopped her own voice from coming out so she simply nodded instead.

His brow lifted "Why are you dressed like… never mind we don't have time to chat. I need to get you out of here."

She nodded again although she desperately wanted to ask him so many questions of her own.

He lifted his body up to peak over the wall and spotted the flames still high and blazing enough for Acnologia not to pass. Natsu was getting anxious now that the princess' life was on the line, it wasn't something he wanted to do but he can't kill the beast with his own sword.

"Princess, I need you to listen." He said seriously.

Her posture straightened at his tone and nodded at him.

"I don't have the time to kill the drake the way I usually do now that you're here. I'm going to drive him into the volcanic lake by the bridge."

Lucy's brow furrowed in irritation "I came to help you so I could escape once and for all and you're going to treat me like baggage?" she frowned.

His eyebrow twitched "My job is to kill him and bring you to the mainland, no disrespect princess."

She was going to open her mouth again but he stopped her "My distraction isn't going to hold on any longer, please just cooperate. If you want to help, tell me anything that'll be helpful in weakening him."

Weakening Acnologia was the only guarantee that he'll go down the volcanic lake without struggle, but Natsu was getting tired and his strength was dwindling making him doubt himself.

Lucy's angry expression softened at the sight of his worrisome face, he definitely wasn't like the rest that tried to rescue her. He was rough, tactful and considerate. Even though he didn't particularly like that she tried to help him earlier, it wasn't out of arrogance, but he clearly was stubborn in the way he worked, maybe it was just work ethic or his own personal morals Lucy wasn't sure.

"There is actually something that could help." She piped.

His attention was quickly grabbed as she spoke "I'm sure you noticed the green lacrima on the land" she pointed to one in sight.

"I don't really know how to explain this, but the dragon was once originally a wizard that made the taboo of transforming so he could live longer. Those lacrima have kept him strong as a dragon over the years, maybe if you break them you could weaken him"

Natsu's expression was onc that couldn't believe what he had heard. He had been told the tale before but thought that was just a rumour.

"Tell you what, my dear lord dragon hunter" she said cheekily "Why don't I take care of the lacrima? I know where most of them are, and you can distract Acnologia." She proposed.

Natsu's expression was sceptic but he had to admit it wasn't a bad plan. His head though kept telling him not to get her in trouble, his money counted on her being in one piece.

"Come on sir knight, I'll be safer that way than sitting like prey." She persuaded.

"Natsu."

"What?"

"Don't call me 'dear lord' or 'sir knight', my name is Natsu Dragneel. Your temporary partner." He smirked sticking out his hand.

She smiled smugly and grabbed his hand but got interrupted by a large thump from the ground behind them.

Natsu and Lucy looked to see Acnologia came through the weakened flames in a fury and quickly looked to each other, nodding their heads and Natsu went off to start his distraction.

He threw an explosive behind the drake so Lucy could make her way without being spotted. She unsheathed her own sword she admired for so long and finally put it to use. The sword weighed her down while running but her will kept her running just as fast.

At the sight of the first Lacrima she spotted she brought the sword back while running so the momentum could break though better. The lacrima was basically a weak crystal, demons could easily bite them so it only took two swings of her sword to break though.

Natsu kept blocking Acnologia's attempts to slash him or bite him while Lucy made her way around the grounds. Her deduction was right; when she got rid of the second Lacrima Acnologia took notice of their plan.

He was slowing down, much to Natsu's pleasure, and when he noticed Natsu was felt cocky and started to play with the beast tauntingly. The Drake glared through his one eye at Natsu who simply played a smile back. With a slash of his tail Natsu jumped back to dodge the attack, although Acnologia wasn't planning to strike the hunter but to distract him and to dash off somewhere else.

Natsu's pupils constricted at the realisation of where Acnologia was heading and immediately ran after the beast.

Whilst on Acnologia's tail, so to speak, Natsu took hold of the chain inside the sack he brought. Bringing it out he attached another piece at the end that appeared to be a sharp and large hook.

He swung it vertically to get momentum and threw the hook side at the beast's other wing. The Dragon felt nothing but Natsu tugged as much as he could to distract the drake.

A ripping sound emerged and that was the end of Acnologia's remaining wing. This befuddled Natsu… how come the wing tore like paper? Was it because of Lucy's destroying the Lacrima, rendering the drake weaker in form too?

The rip caught Acnologia's attention and became hot with rage and charged at Natsu firing a breath attack his way. Natsu readied himself for the attack so he could doge it at the last second. He observed the blue beam that was building up in his mouth was extremely dim compared to the first time and even when he dodged it, it wasn't nearly half as powerful as the first time.

Lucy smirked on the opposite end of the battlefield, observing how her deductions were right and Acnologia was terribly weakened just by taking out four of his powered filled Lacrimas. The Drake's body was now suffering too which was favourable.

Natsu saw her from a distance, he even had to admit; the princess looked stunning, which was odd for Natsu to think because he never particularly took interest in fawning over woman. Many women on occasion at the guild would try taking him home for the night; he never sought to think they were anything attractive; especially the ones that would try their best to look good enough to drag men home with them.

No, the princess had something else going on for her, she was clad in armour, face browned with dirt from the battle, not to mention sweaty. Natsu couldn't take his eyes off her in that very frame.

He shook his head and signalled to her from the distance that one more Lacrima should do and they should make a b-line for the exit.

She proceeded to her last Lacrima nearby which caught the attention of Acnologia. Natsu threw a bomb in his face to draw his attention back which he succeeded.  
Although Lucy wasn't successful in destroying her last Lacrima, try as she might the Lacrima was much sturdier than the rest of the brittle crystals; in fact it was rock solid.

Panicked, she looked to Natsu who caught sight of her as well "It won't break!" she yelled.

Acnologia snapped near his arm but Natsu easily blocked it but wasn't concentrating at the Drakes tail swinging again at him, slamming him in the direction of Lucy.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried.

With a thud to the ground again Natsu's head was spinning and he was seeing three Lucy's. She panicked as he dizzily got up and almost toppled again.

The Dragon surprisingly wasn't running straight for them because they were in his blind spot which Lucy picked up. She tapped Natsu and pointed it out for him.

The Lacrima was the only thing standing in their way of really getting the upper hand and not to mention the crystal was not going to break easily.

Natsu sighed disappointingly as he went to his sack again to pull out another explosive that was a little different from the others and placed it next to the lacrima. He stood up quickly, grabbed Lucy's arm and kept in Acnologia's blind spot, and then finally threw one of the other bombs to the one side of the Drake to distract him.

It worked perfectly and Natsu tugged Lucy when he began to run, she obliged when she realised they were heading to the bridge but that didn't make sense since they didn't destroy the large lacrima.

They ran past the Dragon while he was distracted temporarily but Acnologia caught on quickly and continued after them. Lucy's heart raced as Acnologia closed in on them, she thought many terrible things but Natsu pulled her out of it.

"Shoot him in the other eye!" he cried out snapping her back.

He let go of her arm for her to do so, but in that instant Lucy felt her heart twinge. It was something that felt foreign, but it wasn't bad at all… no, if anything it felt pretty invigorating.

He smirked at her and she returned it. She sheathed her heavy sword and grabbed the bow on her back along with an arrow, her finger twitched as she drew the arrow back but it was two hard to run and do so.

She couldn't get a clear shot as she wasted two arrows, and it was beyond frustrating her. Natsu though had a solution when he found her struggling as he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulders. She squeaked from the sudden action but then didn't let it faze her too much as she refocused on her main objective.

It was still bumpy but much steadier than before, not to mention the dragon was so much closer that he was snapping a few times at the two just behind.

Breathing in she pulled back the arrow, focused, closed her eyes and let go.

A roar erupted.

She smiled with her eyes closed as she found serenity by the roar reassuring she did it. Natsu smiled wildly as well, almost proud in fact, but that would be weird since he doesn't know her at all.

Once they were near the bridge he stopped and let her down and looked at the beast as he yanked his other eye out with the arrow and was most furious. He didn't move though, no it looked like he was focusing on the movements of the land. Even the drake knew he had to be calm in order to soak in the other surroundings.

Natsu put his hand out in front of Lucy indicating she must not move. Although he did hold three fingers up that went to two and finally to one and an explosion went off were they were previously, shattering the sturdy lacrima.

Acnologia howled in pain and lost all sense of control as he tracked their scents, Natsu pushed Lucy in front of him and they made a break for the bridge. It was in shambles as it was but as the two ran across, it was on a thread and was falling into the lava below.

Acnologia didn't know that though and decided out of rage to climb on the bridge too charging at them, quickly too… which panicked Natsu. He sheathed his sword and stayed in place.

Lucy noticed and stopped too, holding onto the rope as the bridge rocked tremendously because of the dragon.

"GO! I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT!" he yelled at her.

She didn't move but Natsu was on edge "I SAID GO! DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ME! GO!" he screamed.

Her eyes watered slightly and hesitantly turned around to run to the other side for safety.

' _He isn't like the others God, so please let him live'_ she prayed as she made it to safety, clutching her hands together.

Natsu was sweating furiously from the heat and from fear… it was seldom that happens really but Natsu doesn't let fear limit him. In fact it reminded him of the first time he felt this way, which was ten years ago…

He shook his head from the traumatic memory and finally lit his flame sword alight and was ready for Acnologia's attack.

The sightless beast was ragged and on the doorstep of death, in fact letting him suffer this long felt wrong to Natsu.

So he made the first move, swinging the sword across the drake's leg then across his chest and it tore the skin this time. Blood gushed down into the magma as it ate it greedily.

Natsu proudly smirked at that but got a claw scraped across his chest for his cockiness. Natsu yelled in pain but internally thanked his lucky stars that the attack was shallow or he'd not be standing in one piece. His blood poured out too but the wound could be treated in time.

Natsu ran off and Acnologia struck him again, making Natsu topple off the bridge. Lucy gasped at what she saw and was ready to take flight to the hunter but her legs were unable to move from fear.

He held on the bridge dangling for his life and closed his eyes for a silent prayer.

"It's the end for you Hunter!" Acnologia bellowed.

Natsu smirked "Go to hell!"

Natsu swung his sword upwards slicing the bridge ropes in half and gravity did the rest for Acnologia. The pinkette held on tight waiting for the wall to make contact and with a thud he almost let go but hastily began to climb upwards.

The roar of Acnologia rang through the two human's ears as he was being seared and engulfed by the volcanic lava down below and as he went further Lucy could of swore the roar of a dragon morphed into the scream of a human.

She looked blankly at where he sunk and muttered "And so the great dragon was hurled."

The gruff of Natsu caught her ear as he managed to climb up the broken bridge, even though he was basically dragged through hell, he managed to add onto what she stated.

"Wasn't that the dragon was hurled into a lake of sulphur, not magma?" He said smirking and finally on his feet.

Lucy's heart was near imploding at seeing him alive and was on the brink of tears which made Natsu panic.

"Are you okay? Oi don't cry!" he said freaked out.

She shook her head and ran to embrace him, even though his chest was bare and covered in blood she was so relieved to see him alive.

And before she knew it, she kissed him.

* * *

 **I'm evilly stopping it here.**

 **This was the most difficult thing I've ever had to write! Like I'm destroyed.**

 **Jellybeanbubbles in taking the reins next chapter, so in able for motivation please send us your lovely thoughts and also it helps motivate us A LOT.**

 **JBB: YOU'RE LEAVING ME WITH THIS?! You are so evil!**

 **Thanks for reading AND reviewing (wink wink) Ciao for now!**


End file.
